How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be
by TheGrudge154
Summary: The world is changed forever when one who was meant to survive never came home. With the prospect of a life alone apart from his greatest companion, Toothless is torn between his duty and his emotions. Is there a way to make things right again or is Hiccup truly gone? Expanded version of my oneshot of the same name in the Possibilities collection. Reviews greatly appreciated.
1. The Crossing To Valhalla

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be  
Chapter 1: The Crossing To Valhalla**

 _'I'm sorry...'_

Toothless didn't know how long it had been. The passage of time didn't seem to hold any meaning to him anymore. Every ticking second just continued to feel numb, like it didn't have a single impact on his being. He paid no attention to it, he didn't care. It could've been hours, it could've been days. He could only stare out across that dark horizon of ocean at the single ship left behind from the attack threatened to disappear over the horizon. The one that now carried _him_ alone.

* * *

 _"No dragon can resist the Alpha's command." Drago hissed through gritted teeth. "So he who controls the Alpha...controls them all."_  
 _The glinting spear in Drago's head ceased it's spinning and became still, it's sharp end pointed towards Toothless. The Night Fury backed away a step from the man just as a horrendous noise shook the air around him and Hiccup. The Alpha stared down at the smaller black dragon, its pupils narrowing to slits of black as the spines covering its head twitched at the deep bass shaking its way into the ground. At that very moment, Hiccup saw Toothless break into a fit of frantic spasms, the Night Fury's head head shaking with roars of protest as he fumbled around his feet like he'd lost his sense of balance._  
 _"Toothless?" Hiccup blurted aloud, a rising fear of alarm starting to show itself in his voice when his dragon didn't respond to him. "T-Toothless, you okay, bud? What's going on?" he continued, trying to keep his voice in that usual warm tone that he knew the Night Fury always responded to. Toothless didn't respond this time and only continued to writhe with snarls of frustration, almost as if he was in pain from the Alpha's frequency piercing into his ears._  
 _"Witness true strength. Strength of will over others."_

* * *

They said it would take him to Valhalla. A realm of kings and brave warriors, they explained, where he would be honored for his bravery and remembered for all time. Toothless hated the thought. He hated it so much it made him want to tear the sky down in his anger. It made him want to claw his way to this Valhalla on his own and drag his rider back to knock some sense into him for doing this to him. Yet, he knew that anger was misplaced. Toothless only had himself to blame for what happened, no matter what Astrid or Valka or anyone had tried to say. He hadn't changed in his demeanor, he couldn't. All he wanted was his human to be here. His soul mate, his other half, didn't belong with kings or warriors. Not even with the gods the Vikings cherished so. He needed to be here.

* * *

 _"No, no, no, no, come on, what are you doing? Knock it off! Stop!" Hiccup's voice cracked as he started to panic. His brain was starting run out of things to try. Nothing he knew about trying to control a dragon was working and it wasn't working on the one who knew him better than anyone. He couldn't have known that Toothless couldn't hear him. He couldn't have known that the dragon he knew had been buried beneath the surface of this control, the Alpha's sheer will spurring him on with a single command: destroy. It was the only thing running through the dragon's head and there was nothing Hiccup could do to break its hold._  
 _"Toothless, no! Toothless!" he begged, his head turning to look behind him as he saw a wall of ice make its way slowly towards him with every step back, the giant columns of frozen water having falling from the shards of the Sanctuary mere moments ago. And now they were to serve as the perfect trap. Toothless' wings outstretched as his deliberate steps towards the human pressed into the ground without fail._  
 _"Don't!" Hiccup cried, his eyes starting to sting as they welled with the beginning of tears, terrified that his best friend stared through his very being with such menace. Another snarl from Toothless' hung open jaws sent chills through his body, the memory of the first time they had met in the woods flashing before his vision. Toothless had shown mercy then. But there was no hint that it would happen this time._

* * *

The memories kept replaying over and over in Toothless' head. His sense of utter powerlessness, his lack of strength against the overwhelming presence of the Alpha piercing his skull. The sight of his human desperately trying to stop him. To the Night Fury, that hurt the most. The fact that his closest companion in the whole world had been so scared of him, terrified of what was happening and what he couldn't control.

 _'I made you afraid... I didn't want you to be afraid of me...'_

It didn't help that Toothless' imagination was also running wild with what could've happened instead. Maybe if he had been stronger, if he had put up more of a fight against that horrible monster, then he wouldn't be stood here alone on the shore. If he had been the dragon that his human had always relied on whenever things got rough, then this band of broken warriors wouldn't be weeping for their fallen comrade. If Toothless had protected him like he should... then he wouldn't be here pleading for forgiveness from someone who could never answer that plea.

 _'I wasn't strong enough. It's my fault... I'm so sorry...'_

* * *

 _"Dad!" Hiccup screamed, his arm outstretched as if to tell his father to stay away. He knew he could still control his dragon, he could win Toothless back, he just needed to try harder. Stoick wasn't going to take that chance, already seeing the dim purple color begin to illuminate Hiccup's body. With his limbs aching at his rush to reach his son in time, Stoick threw himself forward towards Hiccup just as Toothless' throat constricted and sent out a speeding fireball towards them both. It all happened so fast. Time seemed to move in slow motion for them both. As the scorching heat of Toothless' attack began to close in on them, Hiccup's thoughts screamed at him to try one last time to break through the Alpha's control. His mouth began to change into the shape of yelling Toothless' name, something to make the Night Fury stop even though the action had already been done. He wouldn't get the chance to speak the words he wanted to._

* * *

After Drago had left, taking the dragons and his armies to Berk, the ruined Sanctuary had been left eerily quiet. Even in their grief, the other Vikings were taking the time to properly honor their fallen. Maybe it was just a way for them to cope, maybe they had gotten used to being part of a people for whom death seemed everyday in their warlike state. The fact that Drago had chosen to let Toothless go free rather than ensnare him with the Alpha along with the other dragons was just plain cruel. Maybe it was because Toothless was unable to fly without a rider who could work his tail, a fact that would mean he would be useless to Drago. Or maybe, worse still, it was to make the pain even worse on purpose. To think that madman could have such a cruel streak shouldn't have surprised anyone. But what always did surprise them was how deep that evil ran.  
They had tried to take the body away from Toothless soon after they had made the pyre on the ship deck. An act that the Night Fury had refused to let them do. He had held onto that poor boy's form with his claws like it was the most important thing in the world to him, like it was the last thing that was tying him to the world he left behind. He wanted to have snarled and bit and spat flame or anything to keep them away. They couldn't take him, they just couldn't. But a broken dragon's body wrought with grief wasn't enough to resist their advances, his former furious strength of protection having been all but drained from what had happened. And now here he was. Watching his beloved Viking sail away across that void. Forever. What was left of Toothless' heart was breaking all over again.

* * *

 _Valka swallowed the welling of fear in her throat as she tried to get closer, hoping that Toothless would remain docile for now to let her. She approached Stoick first, sliding to her knees as she tugged on his gigantic frame with a grunt of exertion._  
 _"Stoick!" she cried, pulling at his arm as he rolled onto his back. Her husband spluttered after a terrifying moment of laying still, coughing as if the smoke had collected into the back of his throat. He pushed himself up onto his elbows as he tried to make sense of what happened. He squinted, blinking his eyes as the blurry view of his wife's face came into view._  
 _"Val..." he said softly, trying to get back to reality. His mind slowly caught up with him as he came around, his paternal panic rising in his chest and outweighing any desire Stoick had to take on Drago. His head frantically turned around, hoping to see that he had been successful in his efforts to save his son. He soon found him only feet away._  
 _"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled, clambering his heavy frame to his feet as Valka followed him in an equally panicked state. The chief's gut was already twisting as he rested his gaze on the sight of his son's contorted body strewn beneath heavy blocks of ice. He hurried to Hiccup's side, tossing aside the chunks of material like paper as they fell to the ground in heavy thuds. He grabbed Hiccup's body and pulled him onto his back, shaking him roughly to rouse him from his lack of consciousness. As he did so, Stoick couldn't help but notice the grisly damage that had been left behind from the dragon's fire. His mind protested it, trying to ignore the gaping wound in his boy's stomach that hadn't been properly cauterized and was leaking crimson to the ground, the smell of burning flesh, the sickening sounds of mangled bone against muscle when he was moved. Stoick felt numb even contemplating the thought, but it was already creeping into his mind._  
 _"No...son, you wouldn't. You're not doing this to me again! You..." he stammered, shaking Hiccup again more desperately as he still didn't get a response. "Hiccup! Hiccup!"_

* * *

Even as Toothless and the rest of the Vikings stood in formation across the coastline of the Sanctuary, the memories wouldn't stop repeating, the horrific reminder of this tragedy playing in a loop that wouldn't turn off. The sky had turned dark as nightfall descended, leaving a single lantern on the solitary ship before them to illuminate it. A dimly lit fire, forged from the remains of the wrecked ships from the battle, stood a few feet away from them. Stoick and Valka held each other, their eyes never once leaving the sight of the ship slowly drifting away from view. The riders, Eret, and Gobber stood in a line not too far away from them. Astrid meanwhile stood by Toothless, her resolve looking like it was threatening to shatter the more she stared at the scene before her. She knew inside that she had to be strong, for Toothless and herself more than anyone. But as brave as she was, Astrid was finding it to be the most difficult thing she had done in her life. The Vikings stood ready for their roles in the ceremony. Though none of them looked like they were ready or willing to do it.

* * *

 _As the giant beast responsible for the act began to turn away at Drago's command, its attention was broken from Toothless. It didn't have a use for him anymore and the Night Fury's threatening stance from before shrank down to normal. Toothless shook his head, grimacing as the noise of the Bewilderbeast finally ceased and left him free to his own thought. His eyes returned to normal, squinting and blinking back to the real world as he tried to figure out what had happened. Where was Hiccup? The last thing he had remembered was the pair of them facing off against that nasty dragon trapper. The next thing he knew, he had been...overwhelmed by this awful presence. He didn't even know what it was, he just knew it had frozen his thoughts behind a veil. He remembered feeling rage and anger and the need to kill, but he didn't know why. The dragon crooned, feeling worry rise within him when he didn't initially see Hiccup standing there to comfort him with his words as he usually did. Hiccup always did that when he was worried and it always soothed him. But there was no sign of his human anywhere. And it was then that Toothless noticed the figures crowding around something. Both Hiccup's father and mother were there, Astrid and the other riders were there and Hiccup..._  
 _Toothless' eyes turned wide, suddenly racing forward to try and see what was happening. Was he there? Was he OK? Even as he approached them, Toothless had to note that the Vikings were all quiet, his ear plates twitching to try and pick up on anything they were saying. They didn't speak a word. Only muffled sobs reached the dragon's ears as his front paw touched the ground not too far away from them. Stoick heard the footstep crunch into the ice and finally raised his head from his grief stricken trance. He knew who that footstep belonged to and raised his body up with a ferocious snarl of his own. Valka watched in shock as Stoick's brow scowled harshly and he stood, his eyes almost wild as the rage filled his words. He was yelling louder than Toothless had ever heard him do before._  
 _"NO! Get away from him!" Stoick screamed, the power of his voice making the Night Fury flinch from the sheer volume alone. "Y-YOU did this! You demon, you...!" he continued, his voice breaking under the strain of the situation as he raised his fist above his head like he was going to strike. Toothless whined, taking a step back at Stoick's words. Valka raised an arm up towards her husband's hand, pushing her head into it as her own voice threatened to fail through her tears._  
 _"I-It's not his fault...you know that..." she murmured, trying to be the voice of reason. Stoick's angry expression faltered. He sighed out a sob, sinking to his knees once more as another tear slipped over his burly features. He knew his wife was right. This poor creature was nothing more than a tool to Drago. Blaming him for this wouldn't change anything. Toothless hummed again in puzzlement, glancing between them both as he seemed confused as to what they were blaming him for. They were so angry, so sorrowful...had he done something wrong? Where was Hiccup? The dragon began to feel angry himself, growling in frustration that they wouldn't tell him where Hiccup was as his front leg stamped into the ground. It wasn't until the Night Fury finally directed his eyes at the crumpled bundle between the two Vikings that he felt an awful chill run through him. The same one that had run through him when they had faced the Red Death and when Hiccup had been initially kidnapped by Valka's dragons. The small amounts of red liquid pooling at his paws were more than enough to make that chill hit even harder. Toothless let out a panicked noise as he realized that the bundle was his Hiccup._

* * *

Toothless blinked once, a bead of moisture running over his cheek. His eyes were had now lost their former green luster, red veins spreading from the outside edges as if he had never stopped crying. They ached in pain like he hadn't either. His entire being felt heavy, like the weight of the world had been forced upon his wings without his Viking to help him escape its gravity. Toothless' ear plate twitched as he heard the voice of Gobber start to speak. He didn't know what any of it really meant. He could only assume and hope that it was at least a fitting thing to say.  
"May the Valkyries welcome you and lead you through Odin's great battlefield..." Gobber started, his voice low and deliberate to try and contain his emotions. "May they sing your name with love and fury so that we might hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla and know that you've taken your rightful place at the Table Of Kings. For a great man has fallen. A warrior of heart. Heir to a chieftain. A friend...and a son".  
The last line finally broke Astrid once more, her body slumping against the dragon's own as she began to cry again. Toothless had never heard Astrid cry until today. She had always been the strong one, the one to keep a clear head despite whatever happened. It wasn't something he wanted to hear again. The way she heaved and held onto him for support... him, the monster that had done this in the first place. There was some sort of irony in there, the dragon was sure of it.

* * *

'Get up. Come on, get up!'

 _Toothless batted Hiccup gently with his paws, mirroring their play fights to try and get him 'fighting' back. The Night Fury soon found himself freezing when warm moisture coated his claws in a red color. Toothless whimpered, worriedly looking between Stoick and Valka for some sort of answer._

'Why isn't he waking up? What's wrong with him? Wake him up!'

 _They met the dragon's wordless inquiry with the same look. Eyes red and dry from their tears, a general numbness about their being. Toothless' entire body went slack. His ear plates sank downwards across his head, his wings impacting onto the floor as if they had lost the strength to hold themselves upright. Genuine fear began to flood his senses as he pushed at Hiccup, nuzzling that limp arm over and over again._

'N-No, you wake now! You wake up right now, Hiccup!'

 _The humans surrounding him could only watch as the Night Fury vainly, desperately tried to wake up his human, pushing at him with both of his claws now with more frustrated and insistent growls over and over. Again he kept his nudging and nuzzling going, his nose starting to turn as red as his paws as the dragon's crooning became more anxious. Valka's heart broke all over again at seeing such a beautiful creature be in such distress. She had never seen such behavior before from a dragon. Yet alone for a human. The fact that it only showed the bond her son had had with Toothless made it all the harder to face. She bit her lower lip and held out a hand, placing it on the Night Fury's forehead to stop his movements. Their eyes met. Toothless' mouth hung open as he whimpered again, though his 'voice' seemed to break at doing so. The dragon's pupils dilated, his eyes becoming shiny in the dim light of the battlefield._

'No, he...he's fine. I protect him, I always do... I protect him' _  
_  
 _And it was then that Toothless saw the wounds. The way they smoldered and burned, the way the stench of decaying flesh hit his senses enough to make his nostrils flare. It was then that he realized his own mouth still felt warm like he had just used his fire. As the connections were made and the truth hit like a blow from a Viking's axe, Toothless felt like his very heart was collapsing in on itself, unable to stop the moisture building in his emerald eyes._

'My Hiccup...he...he's not...'

* * *

Stoick stepped forward, moving towards the small fire of debris they had constructed before them. With Valka's own bow in hand already armed with an arrow, the chieftain exhaled slowly once to maintain his composure as he held the arrow near the dancing flames. In a matter of moments, a stray spark hit the flammable arrowhead and set it ablaze with heat as well. Stoick's brow remained stern as he raised his arms upward, the bow pointing towards the sky. His hands were trembling as they held tightly onto the taught and tensed string, his mind struggling to really comprehend that this would be the last act he would ever have the chance to do for his son. Valka, as broken by this ordeal as he was, rested her hand against her husband's shoulder with a fierce grip to support him and also cease her own trembling. She would be strong for him, to help him be strong for everyone else. Stoick loved her for it. The burly Viking closed his eyes, a single tear slipping from one to roll down his cheek as he forced his fingers to relax. As the tension was released and the projectile was sent spiraling through the air, Toothless caught sight of it in his peripheral vision. And he suddenly realized what they intended to do.

 _'No...no, they can't! Leave him alone, leave him ALONE!'_

As his eyes followed the arrow's path, the dragon's head screamed at him to do something. They had said the ship would only be taking him a new place, but that single shot would destroy it with flames! They couldn't! He wanted to rip it out of the air, to drag his claws up and tear the arrow to shreds. Anything to stop this final send off, this confirmation of the fact that the peacekeeper of Berk was going to leave them for good. If that ship was burned, then how would his Hiccup reach Valhalla? How would he be able to go there and bring him back...?

 _'STOP!'_

Toothless' body began to act of its own accord as the thought came to him, the dragon starting to take hurried steps forward towards the water's edge. Astrid exclaimed as the dragon moved and knocked her off balance, trying to go after his rider. The other Vikings hesitated in raising their own bows to the sky at seeing the dragon move. Yet they knew they still had to play their part.

* * *

 _Valka bowed her head, her hand slowly withdrawing from Toothless' head as she surrendered to her own grief once more. The Night Fury looked between all the humans, even the other riders stood feet away as they all seemed the same. Astrid has sunk to her own knees besides Toothless, the tears freely flowing to the ground as she clenched her fists in rage at Drago, threatening to tear through her own clothing. That madman had managed to do what Toothless had thought to be impossible._

'Please... please, you can't be gone...! I'm begging you...'

 _And it was at that moment that something happened that no other dragon had done before or since. As tears rolled over his scaled cheeks and he shifted his body close to his human with one more pathetic nuzzle, the Night Fury raised his head upwards to the sky._  
 _And Toothless howled._  
 _It was a sound that made everyone shudder from its tone and power. A howl that was infused with pain and longing all at once, breaking in its sustain as Toothless' back heaved in breaths and stammered noises. Yet no matter how loudly the Night Fury forced his lungs to cry, no matter how they burned at the exertion of volume like it would wake his friend, his closest companion in this world, it was no use. The dragon grew quiet, his noises reduces to heaves and humming noises that could only be the draconic equivalent of crying. He gently rested his head upon his human's body as he continued to cry, not even able to summon up the anger over Drago to take action or pursue. Toothless could only stare at his human's face. The way that those eyes used to shine as they looked at him, so full of love and warmth. He would never see that again. The dragon's front legs curled under the boy's body, pulling it against his black underside as his scales touched Hiccup's skin. Neither Stoick or Valka tried to stop him, holding each other as they too were lost to sorrow. Toothless' cheek brushed against Hiccup's forehead. He felt so cold to touch. No longer warm like his embrace usually was. Had been. It was just lifeless._

* * *

Stoick's arrow met its target. The wooden frame of the ship, still sliding silently across the surface of the ocean, seemed to suddenly erupt in color and become enveloped in searing orange flames. The masts burned like a signpost to signal Valhalla that its sole occupant was on its way. Toothless couldn't tear his eyes away, even as he began to break into a run with a desperate roar. He couldn't let his human go, as much as the occasion had been designed to force him to.

 _'Hiccup! HICCUP, NO!'_

He heard the unmistakable twangs of other bow strings and a whole flurry of flaming projectiles were sent soaring through the air to join the first. As his claws touched the ocean's edge with a splash, the dragon dived towards the water with a howling plea to stop the ship from leaving and burning.

 _'S-Stay with me! Please, don't go...! Don't leave me alone... I love you...!'_

Toothless felt something tug at one of his wings to hold him back, his tired and aching body unable to stop it from ceasing his movements.  
"Toothless, no...you can't..." came Astrid's equally weary and tearful voice, a noticeable shiver in her fingertips as she held on tightly to him. The dragon came to a stand still, a trembling whine vibrating at the base of his neck as he continued to stare at the ever rising fire consuming the vessel.

 _'Please...'_

Were it not for the occasion, he'd almost find it a little beautiful. Maybe that was why the Vikings chose this way to honor their dead, some last glimmer of something majestic and fitting of their spirit before they passed on. For Toothless, it was nothing more than a sign he would never hear, smell or feel Hiccup's warmth near him again. The Night Fury collapsed to the ground with a roaring sob, his legs having failed him as his claws covered his head. The tears came without resistance.

 _'This isn't real... Hiccup will talk to me any moment. He'll tell me it's all OK, he'll tell me he's not really dead, he'll tell me that he loves me and everything is OK...'_

Astrid took cautious steps to the Night Fury's side, unsure of what to say or do to ease the dragon's suffering. As much as her own heart had been shattered from this day, she couldn't begin to imagine what Toothless was going through as well. That last thought of delusion was beginning to run in circles in the dragon's head, the shock of seeing the ship burst into flames having set it off. She sighed, sniffing quietly and rubbing at one of her eyes. A hand cautiously brushed up near the dragon's neck to behind his ear, resting there as a gesture of support. Toothless, lost to his sorrow as he was hunched over like this, at least felt the slightest glimmer of gratefulness in the back of his mind for her attempt to help. That made it at least a little more bearable, if only just.

Astrid looked back on the ship, her brow turning into a fierce scowl even though her eyes were still welling over with tears. She knew exactly what she would do if Drago were before her. She'd kill him herself. She'd spent most of her life preparing to kill until Hiccup stopped all of that for good. She was certain she could do it now. Her concentration on the burning wreck was broken when she heard Stoick begin to speak. The chief had been silent the whole time, even with Toothless' attempt to run after the ship, but he eventually found the courage to say something.  
"Hiccup..." he started, though his voice was no longer loud and booming like it usually was. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry that I couldn't make us a proper family again, I'm sorry that I wasn't..." Stoick paused. Whether it was because he didn't know what to say or because his wrecked emotions wouldn't let him was anyone's guess. "I...don't know." The Viking's expression failed him as more tears began to follow the others. It seemed that even in death, he still didn't know what to say to his son. Valka, sensing her husband's unease, took slow steps towards him and gently squeezed her arms around his bulkier one.  
"Even when he was a babe...you always said that he would be the strongest one day," she murmured, the lines in her face seeming to have been accentuated thanks to today. "And you were right. He brought our two worlds together in a way no one else ever could." Valka's tone was comforting, even if it was being an obvious mask for her own sorrow. Stoick held onto his wife tightly, keeping her tucked against his body in an almost protective manner as silent thanks. Gobber, the other Riders and even Eret all showed some level of agreement at her words. The 'Dragon Master' had touched almost everyone's lives on Berk for the better. And even right to the end, he had never turned to violence, never resorted to the bloodshed that he despised so much. The greatest tragedy probably was not that he was gone. It was the fact that the world was a cruel place that seemed to have no mercy for those who had kinder hearts. Especially a world that had a creature such as Drago Bludvist in it. That thought alone made Stoick's fists clench. The anger from the idea of revenge rose up inside him at the mere thought of that coward dragon trapper. He spun around quickly to speak to the others as the light of his son's ship illuminated the skies behind him.  
"I once told Hiccup that we protect our own. And he died trying to do just that. He tried to protect us and the dragons together from the dangers of the world. And I will not let Bludvist ruin his name by stopping us from continuing that dream," Stoick said sternly. His rage began to replace his sorrow, driving him onward to do something in retaliation. Maybe revenge wouldn't solve anything. Maybe he wouldn't get the satisfaction he thought he would from crushing Drago's skull in. But he refused to let his boy's ideals become tainted and twisted by someone like Drago. "We are going to keep the peace. We are going to save our dragons. We are going back to Berk and we _are_ going to stop him!"  
"Stoick... how?" interrupted Gobber, his former joking attitude having been melted away to reveal a much more serious persona underneath it. Even in times like this, he was going to be the voice of reason against usual Viking impulse. "Bludvist took _all_ of the dragons. We have no way to get to Berk in the first place to even think of getting close."  
"Not all of them."  
The group raised their heads at Valka's voice breaking up the conversation. She wiped across her eyes to rid herself of tears, following Stoick's example and letting her need to avenge her son drive her onward. "The hatchlings," she said simply. "The Alpha can't control them like the adults. We can use them to get back home and stop him before he takes over Berk for himself." Gobber sighed. Stubbornness ran in the family, it seemed.  
"And then what?" Eret interrupted. "Even if we manage to get close to Drago, you know what he's capable of. His entire army is going to be there and we don't have anything to fight him with!"  
"But we do..." Astrid murmured, causing the group to turn their attention back to her. Astrid herself didn't notice their staring and instead walked in front of the only dragon who had been left behind.

"Toothless..."  
The Night Fury was still huddled on the ground. He hadn't even noticed the rest of his human counterparts speaking, too lost in his memories, in the fantasy that he was simply having a nightmare. They were all preferable to dealing with the reality of the situation. It wasn't until Astrid spoke his name that the dragon broke out of his trance. The endless loop of thoughts stopped. It wasn't Hiccup. His tired eyes looked at Astrid as his partner's love took a knee before him to speak.  
"Toothless, I am so sorry for what that thing did to you," she said sympathetically, her voice a little shaky but determined to see what she had to say through to the end. "I know you think there's something you could've done and I know that you think you're right to blame yourself, but Hiccup, h-he... he wouldn't have wanted to see you like this. I know he wouldn't. He knew that you're stronger than that and he knew that you would _never_ hurt him. It's _not_ your fault."  
The Night Fury blinked, a weak croon echoing into the air as the dragon looked like he would cry all over again. She was right. Hiccup hated seeing him upset. All the times Toothless had been scared or worried or sad, Hiccup had done everything he could think of to ease those negative emotions away. And here he was now, consumed by them. It was almost stupid how the Night Fury was nearly willfully disrespecting his rider's efforts over the many years they had known one another. Hiccup would never have wanted to see him in this sorry state.

 _'Oh no... Hiccup, forgive me... your mate is right. You never liked seeing anyone sad, did you...?'_

Toothless leaned his head forward slightly, allowing Astrid to gently touch the scales around his cheek. If what she was saying was true, then he knew he had to be the strong dragon Hiccup saw him as. As they made contact, Astrid showed a brief glimmer of a smile when the saddened creature softly vibrated at the touch.  
"We still need you, Toothless. Hiccup still needs you. We need you to help us protect everything he and all of us worked so hard for these last few years. I know it's a lot to ask when we don't have a plan and I'm sorry that we can't do anything to make it hurt less..." Astrid trailed off, stopping her own emotions from welling up too much before she sighed. "But please...we can't let him destroy our home. We need your help."  
Toothless continued to stare at her. He'd almost forgotten that Drago had decided to travel to Berk after his work at the Sanctuary had been done. And not alone, with his armies and entrapped dragons and everyone that madman had caught in his grip.

 _'My Hiccup...he still needs me?'_

The sorrow of losing his rider began to be set aside and a great anger rose within Toothless' being, just like his human counterparts. He huffed, his brow scowling into something resembling determination. If Drago was trying to break them, then he nearly had. But Toothless would not let the memory of his other half be tarnished by the fact their enemy was going to destroy everything they had accomplished. They would fight this, to the end if need be.

 _'I won't let you down, Hiccup. I promise you, I won't.'_

That's what Toothless decided for himself as he nodded his head at the young woman before him. Astrid followed suit, nodding with a light smile as she stood up.  
"Valka, you can teach us how to ride the younglings," she said with an air of authority. "The rest of us need to be ready with a plan. If we're not going to let that lunatic win, we need to be smart and we need to be quick." The rest of the group nodded their heads, impressed with Astrid's words. They wiped away their tears, the defiant Viking spirit showing itself as they began to scheme. Perhaps with this they still stood a chance. Astrid herself looked back over the ocean, just as the last few embers of the passing away ship disappeared over the horizon and left the skies dark once more.  
"They won't beat us, love," she vowed. "I promise you, that."

Toothless made an oath of his own. Though probably not the one that anyone else would've guessed. As the sight of his Hiccup's ship finally disappeared from view, the dragon let one more tear slip from his eyes and stain the sandy ground. That tear was going to be the last one he would shed, he promised Hiccup that. He wouldn't cry anymore, not until Drago had been overthrown from his seat of power at the very least. They would honour their fallen properly in time. But they would do so after fighting for the peace that Hiccup had strove to accomplish for years. And then, maybe... maybe they would be given a miracle. Maybe the gods of Valhalla would reward him for achieving the impossible.

 _'My Hiccup... I will come for you. When that monster is gone, I will come for you and bring you home. Somehow.'_


	2. The Broken Alpha

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be**  
 **Chapter 2: The Broken Alpha**

Berk never saw them coming. The night had been quiet up until that point, the slightest hint of light from the rising sun just starting to brighten their surroundings. Both Viking and dragon rested easily knowing that their chief and the dragon riders were out making sure that Drago Bludvist never even got close to them. Terrible Terrors slept in great packs to give each other warmth, large Gronckles lazed on their sides in their slumber and the Deadly Nadders and Monstrous Nightmares took care to keep their surroundings intact from their spikes and flames. It seemed like any other night on Berk. But then the sound came. It wasn't immediate and it wasn't loud, but the noticeable vibration of frequency began to slowly pulse its way through the village walls and into the homes of the sleeping inhabitants. It made every dragon respond near instantaneously. Half awake as they were, the creatures big and small began to drift out of the homes, sometimes knocking over objects in their way and making their human counterparts stir from their slumber to see what the fuss was about. Spitelout, the one who had been left in charge on Stoick's orders, rushed outside in pursuit of his own dragon just in time to see a most peculiar sight. Hundreds of dragons circled over the island like a hypnotized swarm, just hovering there and refusing to respond to the cries of their Viking partners far below. Spitelout scowled. This wasn't like the times the dragons left to migrate. This was something different. In a matter of moments, they found out what the cause was as every villager's eyes went wide at what emerged from the depths of the sea.

Glistening with moisture from the waves, a gigantic collection of black spines rose into view over the edge of Berk's cliffs, followed by the roaring head of the largest dragon anyone on Berk had ever seen. Almost comparable to the Red Death, its tusked jaws parted in a fierce roar to reveal rows of spike-like teeth, its face covered in the same sort of spines as the rest of its head. Its eyes were simply narrow lines of black against a furious red, the behemoth's gaze making everyone on the ground feel incredibly small. Their treasured dragons continued to circle around the large one's spines, almost as if they were being drawn towards it. Spitelout and the other villagers were stunned. That rumbling frequency that had rattled everyone was still continuing, the source of it now more than obvious. The entire thing just seemed off putting since the gigantic beast wasn't actually doing anything yet. It was just staring at them, like they were nothing more than insects compared to its majesty. And that was when another sight even more curious came into view. A man was stood on one of the giant's tusks, a hook-like weapon stabbed into the tip to give him some support as he stepped forward. With thick dreadlocks swaying in the morning breeze and an arm that seemed like it was forged from the strongest iron, this mysterious stranger suddenly yelled to them from his rather lofty perch.  
"Your Dragon Master is _dead_!"  
The Vikings grew hushed compared to their previous mutterings of confusion. The Dragon Master... did they mean Hiccup? They couldn't mean Hiccup. Hiccup had Toothless and they had never been bested before. Besides, they both had the support of the rest of the dragon riders and the chief himself. How could he be dead? Spitelout didn't like the situation, his brow scowling as the others around him began to whisper signs of panic among themselves.  
"Dead? Not Hiccup..."  
"He's bluffing, Hiccup could never be taken down by him!"  
"It's not possible!"  
This man looked like the one who was in control of the biggest creature and all of their own dragons still swarmed above him in the air. If he had managed to learn how to have a literal army of dragons follow his commands to assemble, then that meant it was obvious who he was. Drago Bludvist was here. And if he was, then what he said about Hiccup was...  
"No one can protect you now!" the man yelled, jabbing his bullhook down towards the rest of them like they were cowering subjects before a great leader. A fitting metaphor given the control he wielded. As if on cue, the titanic monster of a dragon reared its head back, another ear splitting roar destroying the relative silence of the morning. It lunged forward just as a giant wave of almost liquid ice gushed forth from its throat.

Drago Bludvist laughed in triumph. He had purposely held his armies back, anchored away off shore from the island for this very reason. He wanted to see if he actually needed them against the supposed 'island full of riders'. It turned out that he didn't. His Alpha would be all it would take to make them all bow before him, a sickening sense of glee rising up inside him as giant spirals of icey destruction laid waste to the simple wooden shacks these dragon allying scum lived in. They started to run for cover, just as his Bewilderbeast fired another tower of ice towards the ground and up the mountain-like sides of the Great Hall entrance. They'd all fall, just like their beloved Dragon Master. Without anyone to stop him, Drago stood triumphant on his Alpha's tusk.  
"Now...you _all_ belong to me..."

* * *

What Drago hadn't anticipated was the fact that he hadn't managed to subdue all of Berk's residents. Now only a few miles away from the shores of their home, the rest of the dragon riders having commandeered the Scuttleclaw hatchlings were nearing Berk in a pack after taking some time to teach the babies some respect for instructions. Valka had done a pretty good job, despite the few accidents that Eret and Gobber had managed to get themselves into on the way here. Hyperactive baby dragons and giant walls of ice didn't seem to mix. But nonetheless, their miniature battalion of Scuttleclaws was in pretty good formation. And at the front of them all was Toothless. The Night Fury tried his best not to soar too far ahead, a grim determination on his features as he forced his mind to stay focused on the task he had to accomplish. Astrid sat across his saddle, being the only one who knew how to properly work his tail thanks to Hiccup's past teaching. He was having to consciously shut out his emotions, keep his grief in check. If he faltered, then this plan of theirs wouldn't work and he wasn't going to let them down. He would mourn later. Right now, he had a job to do. Still, despite that, it didn't feel right. If they were going to be facing down one of the more dangerous enemies they had ever faced, Toothless needed to be mobile. And the fact he couldn't be without his rider only emphasized the point that it wasn't Hiccup who was riding on his back.

 _'No, I have to focus. Hiccup needs me.'_

Toothless kept repeating it in his head as they traveled. It was the only thing keeping him from slipping back into his sorrow. He was going to be a good dragon. He was going to be a brave dragon, for his human. And that meant taking down Bludvist even with his heavy heart.

"So, can someone remind me what kind of suicidal plan we're diving into again? Whoa!" called out Fishlegs, his large frame dipping a little a downwards as his Scuttleclaw seemed to be distracted by the fact there was water below them.  
"We use everything we have to distract the Alpha away from the village!" Valka shouted back, almost effortlessly keeping her youngling under control with a single hand. "Astrid says that there's a spare tail for Toothless that can let him fly on his own somewhere in the workshop. Whilst he tries to take out the Bewilderbeast, we evacuate whoever we can. And then...we have to pray."  
"Pray?!" Snotlout exclaimed. He knew this was a desperate plan but he hadn't realized it was _this_ desperate. "No-one said anything about praying when we were dreaming all this up! How is one dragon supposed to take out that freaky thing?"  
"Stop your complaining and just do as she says!" Gobber retorted, rubbing his head from the unfortunate moment his dragon had smacked into an ice wall. "A Night Fury is the best chance we have. If a Red Death can be beaten, then so can this!"  
"I don't really care how it happens as long as I get dibs on the sheep catapult," Tuffnut said simply, stretching his fingers out like he was going to get a good workout from doing so. "Gonna be like Dragon Racing! Except, you know... every sheep is worth, like, a gazillion points. For all the people we'll save. Oh, yeah."  
"Hey, I was gonna be the one to fire them!" Ruffnut interjected, steering her Scuttleclaw towards her brother on purpose to bump him. "Get your own catapult!"  
"I'll fire you out of it first!"  
"I'd like to see you try!"  
"ENOUGH!" Stoick shouted, gritting his teeth as his fierce stare forced the squabbling siblings to stop. They quickly understood this was not the time for petty arguments and the pair showed an actual resemblance of maturity by focusing on the task at hand. "Everyone knows what they need to do. So let's get this done," the chief finished. The rest of Vikings nodded their heads, just as the carved sea pillars of Berk began to come into view. Or, at least one of them did. The one on the right had been destroyed, crushed from what they could only presume to be the Bewilderbeast. Stoick scowled, his teeth only gnashing against each other harder the more they flew on.  
"We have to hurry."

Astrid hadn't been paying attention to the rest of her companions on their flight. Her entire focus had been on Toothless. The dragon hadn't done much to really acknowledge anything that was going on except the occasional look. He hadn't even seemed to have noticed that they were flying, even when she had made the odd slight tweak of the tail fin. She felt worried. She had never seen Toothless show so little emotion before towards anything. Whether it was a sign of the massive amount of concentration he was showing on taking down Drago or whether his emotional capacity had been drained after today, she didn't know. All she knew was that it wasn't like the dragon at all. Astrid leaned forward, touching her hand to behind one of the Night Fury's ear plates again like she had before on the shore.  
"Toothless... you're sure you're OK to do this?"  
It wasn't like she expected a response. Maybe she was only asking to calm her own frantic mind. The day had taken a toll on her like everyone else and she wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to be sending anyone else to join her love in Valhalla if they weren't up to it. To her surprise, Toothless actually looked over his wing back at her. His pupils were narrow as they stared into her, the dragon vibrating once before looking back ahead to their destination. That was the most reaction he'd given her throughout their entire flight. She could at least admire the Night Fury's determination to see this through to the end in his former rider's memory. But it didn't make it any easier to see.  
"OK... once we get there, we'll find that tail and I'll help the others to distract the Alpha. You can do this," Astrid said to him, gently brushing over his ear. Toothless hummed in response, the ear twitching for a moment as his wings angled themselves to begin to turn in towards the island. As the group passed the protruding rocks, they were greeted with a nearly horrifying sight. The Bewilderbeast was hunched over the cliff edge of the village, its sheer bulk having cracked the entire rock face apart. It roared over the remains of Berk, the Viking home now caught up in gigantic twisting spires of frozen destruction. Astrid froze, her rage bubbling to the surface as she cursed under breath at Drago. It reminded her too much of what Eret's fort had been like when they had first encountered it. Only now, it could be remnants of her own home locked inside the towering ice. And that was before they got to the idea of all the creatures now circling over the new Alpha's head.  
"He took all the dragons!" Fishlegs exclaimed, his tone seeing desperate like he was searching for his beloved Meatlug in the mass of wings and talons. All of their dragons were up there, including the ones that had remained on the island whilst they were away. That settled it. This had to end, today.  
"Distract the Alpha!" Valka ordered, pushing her Scuttleclaw ahead to where Toothless lead the pack. "Give Astrid and Toothless time." Her voice became gentler as she looked to the side towards the Night Fury. Just like Astrid, she had been worried about the gentle creature ever since they had taken off. She nodded her head with an almost motherly smile, a silent way of promising that they would be alright. Toothless acknowledged her with a gentle bob downwards of his own. Stoick followed his wife's orders and moved the rest of the Scutteclaws towards her.  
"Here goes nothing..." Astrid mumbled under her breath, her and Toothless now breaking off from the rest of the group to sneak around the back of Berk unnoticed. She hoped this would work.

* * *

On solid ground, the Vikings of Berk had managed to seek cover behind a few of the buildings that had miraculously survived the Bewilderbeast's onslaught. Without dragons or any decent weapons to defend themselves, hiding was the best thing they could manage to do without being trapped along with their houses in the ice. It would take a miracle for them to get out of this one without being under Drago's rule. Or alive. Thankfully for them, it seemed that their prayer for salvation had been answered when they suddenly spotted small shapes slowly bobbing towards them through the air. There was only three or four of them, but they clearly had wings and they clearly had people riding them. The recognizable outline of their chief quickly informed them who it was.  
"Look! It's the riders!" one of them called out, the small group around him bursting into cheers quickly. The former confidence Berk had when protected by their dragons began to show itself once more as the jeers began to spread. Drago, having previously been too caught up in his gloating of victory, heard his foes from below.  
"What...?" he growled, locking eyes with the ones that belonged to the chief of this destroyed village. So Stoick the Vast had managed to make his way back, just in time to see the rest of his island buried beneath a mountain of ice. It seemed fitting for them all to have gathered here, the prospect of destroying them all at once with the Alpha after inflicting such heavy emotional damage almost making Drago smile. His Bewilderbeast growled at the tiny dragons flurried around his face, his controlling frequencies seeming to have no effect on them despite how hard he pushed it at them. Well, no matter. He'd just knock them out of the sky with...  
"Baa!"  
A sudden flurry of wool came flying up in between the Alpha's eyes. The beast crossed them inwards, looking utterly puzzled as the terrified little mammal flew down out of sight just as quickly. What on earth was that? The Bewilderbeast angled his body to look down at the ground and saw something that only made matter more confusing. A group of the other riders, two of which were operating a catapult, were quickly loading and then firing the little sheep up towards him. It seemed like they had broken away from the group on approach to set this little diversion up. As they prepared to launch another, the Alpha roared in annoyance at their rubbish attempts to foil him and was about to blast them with his ice when something equally puzzling grabbed his attention. A horrendous sounding horn noise burst into his right ear, the titan pausing in his breath preparation. He saw nothing but a weirdly fish shaped horn mounted on the rock, presumably unmanned. Probably some pathetic attempt at a warning system for intruders. He grunted in anger at this attempt at distraction, just as Drago seemed to echo the sentiment. He whirled his spear above his head and stabbed it into the Bewilderbeast's tusk as a sign of control.  
"You're certainly hard to get rid of, I'll say that!" Drago cried to the little rebellion, turning his attention back towards the Alpha. "Ignore it! Take them out!" he cried, causing his dragon to rear back to freeze them all solid. Just as another sheep flew in front of his vision. He snarled What was with the blasted sheep? And another horn blast wasn't helping either, the sound making his claws grip into the ground from how much it was irritating him. Ruff, Tuff and the others all snickered to themselves, almost pleasantly surprised it was working. At the same time, Valka, Gobber and Stoick were all rushing the islanders under the small alcoves of ice the Alpha had left behind, some choosing to flee behind the Great Hall's near impenetrable stone walls to keep them safe from the battle that was sure to follow soon. They knew that this trick of distraction would only work for so long before the Alpha became too angry for it to work on.  
"Come on, Astrid..." Valka mumbled under her breath, ushering another villagers past her. Time was a luxury they were soon running out of.

"It has to be here somewhere..." Astrid mumbled, frantically searching through the piles of paper and scrap metal. It was a miracle that the workshop was still here and that most of its equipment hadn't been lost from the sheer force of the ice earlier. If she knew Hiccup like she thought he did, she knew he wouldn't have simply tossed away the independent tail, even despite Toothless' destruction of the old one. He was too proud of his work. Toothless watched her intently, though his ear plates were perked up in case the Alpha decided to refocus his efforts of destruction on them next. Even now, he still hadn't shown any sign of proper emotion, almost like he was becoming an avatar of what a Night Fury had been thought to be. A beast who only knew how to survive and kill. Toothless never wanted to be that. But he didn't have a choice at the moment as he stood ready to defend Astrid in case things got messy.  
"Come on, come on... gotcha!" she suddenly exclaimed, pulling out the mechanism from beneath a pile of plans and spare parts. She glanced over it, pulling it apart and then back again to make sure it still worked. A feeling of both warmth and sadness pulsed in her chest. Hiccup was always proud of his inventions. It was something she always loved about him, his deep enthusiasm for all things mechanical. And now they'd only just end up collecting dust. Astrid shook her head, brushing aside the unpleasant nature of the situation. No, this would be perfect. She hurried over to Toothless' side, quickly unhooking all of the metal and wired connections of his harness in order to fasten on the tail. Toothless simply followed her hands' movements, stepping out of the rings around his legs when gestured to and not kicking up a fuss. A horrible sense of familiarity crept into his gut when Astrid managed to lock the mechanism around his other working fin. The familiar feeling of how in this moment, he didn't need Hiccup to fly. He began to remember how had used that ability to fly off and get something special for his Hiccup all those years ago and inadvertently caused his human to worry. But he had made him overjoyed by the end. He always adored seeing Hiccup smile like that. By the end of that affair, Toothless thought it best he cause the destruction of the tail for one reason alone. If he wasn't going to be able to fly with his Hiccup, then he wasn't going to fly at all. But then... the events of today had caused him to break that promise for reasons he knew were important. It didn't help him feel any less guilty deep down past his steely facade.

 _'I shouldn't have to do this... I should have you here with me to help.'_

Astrid stepped up, double checking her handiwork for a moment before hurrying to the dragon's front.  
"OK, it should be ready," she whispered, just as the pair of them heard another cry of a sheep and a horn blast. And then the sickening sound of ice solidifying in a gigantic line. They were running out of time to get this done. Astrid steeled herself, holding onto Toothless' lower jaw even as those narrow pupils continued to stare right into her.  
"We need to be quick. You can do this, Toothless. I know you can. We'll be right there with you, OK? Just try to get the two of them apart while we move everyone. That could break their control on the others." Astrid nodded her head to make sure the dragon understood. Toothless exhaled harder than usual as a gesture to show he did. The Viking's encouraging face faltered somewhat at getting such weak feedback. But she wasn't going to push the Night Fury to do more than he was able. She quickly turned, gesturing Toothless to take off into the sky as she hurried out of the back entrance to the workshop and out of sight.

Toothless took a few steps forward, at least feeling a little lighter compared to normal thanks to the removal of the saddle. Though the gentle mechanical clicking of the tail on its own made him mentally cringe. He knew why he had to do this alone. No one else on Berk would be so in sync with the dragon enough to make the tight turns and alter his normal tail. He had no choice in the matter. But that didn't stop the feeling of unease churning away in his stomach. This entire thing just felt wrong. Everything about today had been wrong. And now, faced with the prospect of having to do this alone, Toothless felt something rise within himself that he didn't usually feel. He felt afraid. He felt afraid of the intimidation of the Alpha, the fact that its size alone had made him freeze up on the shores of the Sanctuary even before that controlling frequency. He felt afraid that he was going to be caught under its snare again, lose control of his body and be nothing more than a mindless slave to that madman. He felt afraid of the crushing guilt he would feel if he was the one who finalized Berk's destruction at the hands of Drago and his Alpha. Most of all, he was petrified of something more than anything else.  
He felt afraid that he was going to kill someone.

 _'No, I... I can't. I can't do this on my own. I'll just hurt someone else, I can't do it...!'_

 _"Toothless...?"_

The Night Fury's blood ran cold. The workshop was completely empty, having been long since abandoned when Drago and the Alpha appeared. But even so, he had heard someone speak his name. He was sure of it. And that voice sounded chillingly familiar to him. As far away as it sounded, it was softly spoken and warm, inviting as if it was something to drift towards and feel safe with. This wasn't like the 'voice' of the Bewilderbeast. That just filled you with menace and forced you to comply with such horrendous acts that you would never think of yourself. No, these were words. Caring, beautiful words that broke through the emotionless wall Toothless had erected around himself.

 _"Hey...it's me, bud! It's me... it's me, I'm right here, bud."_

He knew who it was. He dare not question it. He didn't want to know how it was possible. But he would never forget that voice. He couldn't. The Night Fury crooned, his voice wavering as the rest of the world didn't seem to even matter at this point. He even threatened to break his vow of no tears at just hearing _him_ again. His head darted around, desperately trying to make sense of where it was coming from. He saw no such answer.

 _"It wasn't your fault, bud. They..._ made _you do it."_

Toothless whimpered, the words making his heart ache once more. His Hiccup would've said something like that. He would've done anything to make sure that the dragon didn't blame himself or feel guilty over anything. But that only seemed to make it worse as he frantically began to search about the workshop. It was selfish of him to do, he knew that. He knew the others were counting on him. But if he was here...

 _'H-Hiccup! My Hiccup... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what I did! Please, where are you...?'_

 _"You'd never hurt him. You'd never hurt_ me _. You're my best friend, bud."_

Toothless whimpered, his vow broken as a tear spilled to the ground. He huffed in frustration at not being able to properly talk back to the voice. He could only think what he wanted to say, to beg for forgiveness, a feat made only more aggravating when he wasn't able to see his Viking. If he wasn't here, then where was this voice coming from? How was the dragon able to hear him? Or... was he just fooling himself? Was his mind tricking him into thinking what he wanted to hear and feel in his heart? Once again, the fear of letting everyone down began to crawl into his head like bugs, a fact the voice seemed to pick up on.

 _"Gotta block 'em out, Toothless. We can do this. You and me. As one."_

As one? Hiccup was really here somehow...? The dragon hesitated, looking out past the tool racks and groups of abandoned carts outside. The Bewilderbeast, looking incredibly angry, was starting to bear down on the group of riders like it was about to crush them under his foot. A surge of worry coursed through Toothless' body at the sight, his wings extending outwards like he was ready to take off. He had to do something.

 _"Go, I'll be right behind you, bud! Go!"_

The voice spurred Toothless on, the Night Fury's anger finally coming through to the surface at long last as he growled in menace at his opponent.  
No. No one else would die today. No one else would become a slave to that lunatic.

* * *

With a ferocious roar, Toothless leapt out of the workshop and fired a single powerful blast of plasma towards the Bewilderbeast. Just as the mammoth dragon raised its head for another blast of ice, the Night Fury's fire suddenly made contact with the side of its jaw in a gigantic explosion of smoke and burning embers. The Bewilderbeast roared in anger as he turned his attention away from the group of tiny humans at his feet, just in time to see a black shape suddenly speed off from the ground into the sky. Drago, reeling from the smoke blowing into his eyes saw it too and echoed his dragon, roaring in frustration. The Night Fury was here? And able to fly?!  
"NO!" he screamed, whirling his bullhook into the air. "Cut him out of the sky!" That dragon was going to be a problem. It was the only thing fast and agile enough to be a problem for the brutal size of the Bewilderbeast. And there was just a slim chance it could succeed. Drago scanned the skies around the island, looking for any trace of black soaring around them now that the Night Fury had disappeared. His dragon did the same, its huge head swinging in large arcs with its tusks to try and make sense of where the gnat of a dragon had gone. On the ground, Stoick, Valka and the others all watched with held breath in much the same way. They were safe for now as long as the Bewilderbeast didn't look down and it seemed that Toothless was doing a good enough job to keep it distracted. They heard the next strike coming before they saw it. With an ear piercing screech from the sheer speed he was travelling, Toothless suddenly shot out from the other side of Berk's mountain-like center and sent another burning sphere of purple towards the Alpha. It made contact in the same way as before, dousing the monster's sight with smoke and even causing it to slightly lose its grip against the cliff it was perched on. A blurred outline of black wings and claws sped past them and out of sight just as easily, the shape twirling over itself in the air as it whipped past the docks below. The Night Fury's attacks were as precise and deadly as the legends said they were, Drago cursing himself for not having taken it for himself back at the Sanctuary. Well, better late than never.  
"Take control of it!" he commanded, his hook stabbing into the tusk he was perched on yet again. His Bewilderbeast responded, its eyes darting around the island and honing in its frequency to get that dragon in particular. At the same time, the now hidden Toothless grimaced as that awful feeling began to rush over his thoughts. He shook his head, his wings fluttering a little to keep himself in the air as the Bewilderbeast's 'voice' once again tried to burrow into his brain. It kept gnawing at him, the Night Fury wincing as the horrendous pitch made his ears hurt. He knew he was going to be turning around into view any moment now for the precision strike that would end it. This would hopefully knock Drago away from his dragon and make it lose focus. But that was only if he was able to pull it off. As the dragon saw the frame of his enemy come into view, the frequency grew stronger and made him feel like he was going to fall out of the sky from its intensity. And that's when the voice spoke again.

 _"Shut it out, Toothless..."_

Toothless snorted as he focused back on his goal. He could do this, he could ignore it, he could do this for everyone. Already, as his eyes narrowed to slits and locked onto his target, the madman seeming to be shocked as the Night Fury came into view. As black jaws parted and heat began to surge forward from the depths of the dragon's body, Toothless couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Even from this distance, Drago looked worried and he was right to be. The screeching sound of a Night Fury attack once again shattered the relative quiet of the morning and the hunter and his target came closer and closer together by the moment. Toothless was waiting for the right moment to strike. The Bewilderbeast, roaring just as angrily, began to rear back for an attack of his own when it was clear the control wasn't working for whatever reason. The moment the smaller dragon felt the rush of cold from the Alpha's mouth begin to rush over him, he chose to fire.

 _"Now!"_

The voice was right on cue. The plasma blast fired forward like a bullet, just as Toothless pulled up just when the torrent of frozen breath surged towards him. His fire carried on above the blast, unfazed by the freezing temperature beneath it, right into Drago's left prosthetic arm. With a cry of rage, the madman found himself tumbling off the side of his dragon from the impact, hitting the ground not too far below him with a heavy thud of metal and leather. At the same time, the dragons circling overhead paused in their movements, some of them seeming to hesitate carrying on in their holding pattern at the hit caused the Alpha to lose concentration. It was working! The dragon riders cheered among themselves at their plan having come to fruition. Now, they just needed to see whether it had the full intended side effect. Even as the younger members of the group continued their preemptive celebration, both Valka and Stoick didn't seem to share the mood. Toothless may have gotten Drago away from the beast, but the dragons circling above them were still not dissipating like they had hoped they would. And it was then that Valka noticed their single dragon was in danger as she cried out his name in a panic.  
"Toothless!" It became quickly apparent that the Night Fury hadn't fully escaped the behemoth's attack. His tail, especially the part he needed to fly, had been captured in the ice and the dragon was struggling hard to keep in the air. His wings beat furiously as he growled at himself for not being quick enough, the unstable part of his tail fin caught in the block of ice starting to tip him over. It was only a few seconds before he began to fall from the air just like Drago had, thrashing both his claws and wings about in a vain attempt to get upright once again. The Alpha took advantage of his opponent's risky attack and subsequent failure. Without taking the time to even prepare, another furious blast of icy breath suddenly enveloped the falling Night Fury in its grip and seemed to entomb him within a spiky frozen prison. The Vikings gasped in shock, the heavy object hitting into the ground like a meteorite from the crater it made. Shards of broken material scattered everywhere along the ground, a horrible reminder of the aftermath of the Sanctuary battle. The island fell quiet. Drago's laughter broke the relative silence as he stumbled back to his feet, now only a few feet away from the remaining riders.  
"Ha! A brave attempt! But no one can resist the strength of the Alpha!"  
"No!" Astrid yelled, trying to barge her way forward to get Drago herself. She had to be held back by Gobber when the Bewilderbeast turned its attention back to the tiny humans, especially now that the main threat against it had been dealt with. Was this the end for them all?

The question was quickly answered when a pale blue light suddenly lit up everyone's faces. From within the depths of the sharp angles and jutting out pieces of ice, the light shone through as bright as the sun. Audible cracks in the surface began to form, splinters of frozen matter falling to the ground as it looked like the ice was literally being melted from the inside. The rest of the riders looked amazed by what they saw. Drago looked quite the opposite, his grim smile faltering as his scarred features were accentuated by the blue. In a matter of moments, a burst of energy shattered the gigantic chunk into pieces, wispy smoke obscuring it from few and causing the humans to brace themselves from the shrapnel. A heavy flap of wings beat downwards, sending the grey fog spiraling around before disappearing in a near tornado. And in the center of it all, stood Toothless.

 _'NO! I won't let you hurt them!'_

The Night Fury roared, the volume and power beyond anything the other Vikings had heard before. His body was glowing with his anger, quite literally, as blue light burned beneath his head spikes and his spines like something had set them on fire. Steam from the intense heat rose off the dragon's back as his wings flared outwards. He parted his jaws in another roar, the inferno raging inside him almost shining out of his mouth as he did so. The Bewilderbeast looked noticeably taken aback by his foe's new found power, roaring back at him to try and show he was still in control. Toothless would have none of it. He leapt forward, sprinting up a remaining spire of ice to face the Alpha head on, fanning out his wings and gripping onto the spike to anchor himself as another screeching sound of defiance left his throat.  
"W-What's he doing? Why's he all glowing like that?" Fishlegs blurted out, fumbling with his cards to try and find out for himself.  
"I think... he's trying to challenge the Alpha!" Valka exclaimed. In all her years among the dragons, she could never have guessed that a Night Fury held such power within themselves. Maybe it was because of the way that they were more suited to speed and precision. But under the right circumstances, it seemed like they could tap into it, use it to wear their opponents down through sheer force. Stoick seemed to agree with her assessment.  
"Challenge it... to protect us all." It suited Toothless well. As the humans watched on in awe, Toothless lunged his head forward, spitting out a ball of flame that hit the Bewilderbeast near point blank. The huge dragon's head was thrown to the side from it, even as fire resistant as its scales were. It could scarcely believe how much power was behind that shot, just as another one came speeding towards the opposite side of its face. It was thrown back again. And again. And again. Toothless was relentless. He fired over and over, hitting the Alpha with everything his body could muster. He was surpassing any shot limit, any type of fatigue in order to beat this monster down. His throat felt like it was starting to burn, but he pushed past it, the single thought of protecting his Viking family urging him to keep going. And it seemed to be working. With each successive hit, the dragons above the Bewilderbeast were starting to falter, shake themselves awake as if they had been trapped in some sort of dream like state. They began to turn, slowly at first, but eventually starting to flood to Toothless' side in droves. Drago was gripped by something he rarely felt, the fear of losing. He would not allow a single dragon to destroy his plans so easily, it would be humiliating! He screamed to his own dragon, jabbing on to one of its tusks to get back on it in the hopes it would get the rest of the dragons under control.  
"No, no, no, NO!" Drago yelled. "Fight back! FIGHT BACK! What's the matter with you?!" The 'Dragon God' was at a loss. How could this be happening? He could only watch in bafflement as his entire army of dragons, even the ones coated in armor that he had given them on his ships, were flooding away from him and now choosing to hover over the Night Fury. As if on cue, the residents of Berk, having been hiding away in the shadows of their destroyed homes, began to step out into the light of the morning, giving themselves their own makeshift army as they stood defiant against him. Drago's eyes darted around in a panic, gritting his teeth in his frustration that he had been clearly outmatched. From the crowds, he saw the riders take the lead of their pack, with Stoick the Vast almost seeming to smile at how satisfying it was to have beaten him.  
"See?!" the chief screamed from the ground. "If there's one thing my son taught us all, it's that _this_ is what it means to earn a dragon's loyalty!" Toothless hissed in agreement, his eyes having fixed on Drago with a stare that almost screamed murder. "You have one last chance, Bludvist!" Stoick continued. "Leave now or we'll make you leave permanently!"  
"NEVER!" Drago howled back, refusing to accept defeat. He pushed his bullhook into the air, jabbing it forward as a final ploy to win. His Bewilderbeast didn't even get the chance to react. Seeing the thrusting motion of the weapon, Toothless arched his head up and roared to the rest of the dragons now on his side of the battlefield. Immediately, they all opened their mouths, the beginning of fire starting to burn behind their teeth before it suddenly overflowed. Violently. One by one, the dragons began to launch a gigantic volley of heat towards the Bewilderbeast, each shot causing its huge frame to shake and shudder as it barely had a chance to see what was happening through all the smoke. Toothless joined in with just as much effort, his much more powerful blasts thanks to that internal fire almost hot enough to leave burn marks across the former Alpha's scales. The Night Fury's throat was burning tpp from the exertion, well having passed his usual limit for shots. But he had to be sure. He had to make sure that these scum would never return to hurt his home and his people again.

 _'_ This _is for all the dragons you stole!_ This _is for all the people you've hurt!_ THIS _is for destroying our home!_ THIS _is for destroying my...!"_

Toothless couldn't finish the thought as he kept firing. As the intensity of his fire began to feel like it was singing the inside of his throat from all the exertion, his eyes were screwing up to hold back tears. Every raw emotion, every feeling of guilt and anger and grief and sadness, was combining together to literally fuel the fire. It was doing wonders. The Bewilderbeast reared up, trying to shield itself somehow from the blasts. The repeated determined thoughts of Toothless came to fruition when a particular bolt of plasma suddenly slammed into one of its tusks. It began to crack, fail under the weight of itself before the nearly severed growth broke apart and left a trail of smoke behind it as it crashed to the ground. The Bewilderbeast howled, its eyes giving Toothless an equally murderous stare for somehow managing to do this. Toothless glared back at him, even as tiny trickles of blood started to leak out from the sides of his mouth. He would live. This kind of pain was nothing to what this monster had done. The Night Fury parted his jaws once again and howled a final fierce roar. A noise that served as a final warning for the disgraced Alpha to never come near these shores again. The larger dragon looked pitiful, ignoring the continued pleas of his master to stay. Drago could only roar in anger as the Bewilderbeast turned tail and dived back to towards the ocean, the splash of its weight against the sea foam coating the rocks it stood on in moisture.

* * *

Berk erupted into thunderous applause. People hugged one another, slapped hands, raising their arms upwards to welcome their beloved dragons home. The creatures began to descend onto the island, both Berk and Sanctuary resident alike. The people ran forward, embracing their companions with open arms now that the siege was over. Toothless, now having cooled down to his usual black color, panted as he slowly made his way down the spire of ice he had been clambering on. His claws touched solid ground as he noticed Stoick, Valka and Astrid reuniting with their own dragons. Stormfly looked as overjoyed and playful as ever, Skullcrusher stood solid and proud and Cloudjumper landed with nearly cat-like grace as he leaned into his rider's cheek. Toothless dared a slight smile. He felt proud of himself that this had come to pass thanks to him. He hoped that Hiccup was proud of him too. As the three Vikings and their dragons turned their attention back to him, Toothless was surprised to see that every other dragon on the island was now staring at him. They sat still, looking down at his smaller frame. Cloudjumper seemed to lead them all as the four-winged beast took careful steps towards the Night Fury. To everyone's surprise, the Stormcutter lowered his head to the ground, like he was bowing. Every other dragon did the same. Toothless was shocked, looking around plethora of scale colors in amazement. Was he...? Was he the new Alpha? The others trusted him so to give him this honor? Cloudjumper raised his head back upwards again and took another few steps towards Toothless. He seemed to look almost proud of the little dragon, even if he could sense that the Night Fury's nearly endless energy had been exhausted by something terrible. He dare not guess as to what since he has lost nearly all memory of the Sanctuary battle under the Bewilderbeast's control. But nevertheless, the Stormcutter leaned his head in gently, vibrating his fins as a gesture of support. Toothless closed his eyes, nodding his head to show his thanks. Well, at least he could say he wasn't a bother to Cloudjumper anymore.

Suddenly, Toothless' neck seemed convulse as a splatter of blood was suddenly coughed onto the ground. The group winced at seeing the small spray of red. Thin lines of it drooled from the gaps between his teeth, almost unsurprising given how much that fire had consumed the entire inside of the dragon's body. He had overdone it, for sure. He was weary and he was hurting. But he had won. Stoick, Valka and Astrid approached Toothless and gently held his exhausted head up with their hands, even as he panted in exhaustion from what he'd done. They all knelt in front of him, smiling in thanks for being the brave and good dragon they all knew he was. They spoke words to him, some encouraging, some of gratitude. He couldn't make them out too well in his tired state, but he was grateful for every one they said. As the Night Fury looked around the island, seeing the reunions of dragons and humans alike, he couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of fear in his gut once again. Everyone looked so happy. He too had felt relief and strength when he thought he had earned a reunion of his own. When his human's voice had responded to him. He dared a question.

 _'Hiccup...? Hiccup, can you still hear me? Please, tell me you can hear me...'_

Toothless received no such answer to it. He no longer felt the presence of someone being with him through the fight, he didn't feel the warmth that voice had brought to him in his time of need. Now all he was left with was the images of others being able to experience something he wouldn't be able to again. The fear that he had lost his rider again turned back into doubt. Had he imagined it? Could he have made it all up in his head just as a way to cope with the pressure? Had Hiccup really been there or... had he just wanted him to be? Toothless's body slumped downwards, the dragon falling into a weak sitting position. The remaining members of the Haddock family and Astrid gasped in shock trying to support him, the dragon's eyes drooping closed. Astrid and Valka stroked around the Alpha's ear plates, trying to soothe the pain he felt physically and emotionally. Now that he no longer had a goal to focus on, they were nearly certain that Toothless would slip back into his grief. He had every right to do that. But they wanted to be there for him if he did. Stoick, raising up off of one knee, turned around and raised a hand into the air. The rest of the village hushed in their talking, paying attention and hoping for an explanation as to what had happened. It was not going to be a nice one to hear.  
"Today... we managed to show the world that Vikings and dragons can be kindred spirits," Stoick announced. "It's been something we've held as our belief for over 5 years. But that belief has not come without sacrifice. It had not come without losing things we have held dear. And today..." Stoick trailed off. He grit his teeth. The fact he was having to say this made all of the feelings back on that shoreline come back to him.  
"Today... we lost something very important. To everyone here. To the dragons. And to me..." The crowd didn't need to know what he was talking about. The absence of Toothless' rider spoke volumes. Stoick cleared his throat, putting on a brave face as he continued to talk.  
"Hiccup may... Hiccup may no longer be with us. But he would not want us to succumb to that fact. We will take the time to mourn him... and we will remember him. But most importantly of all, we will carry on what he started. We will be an example to how Vikings and dragons can live together." Stoick nodded his head in confirmation of his orders, raising a fist into the air.  
"For Hiccup!" The island joined them in solidarity, raising their arms towards the sky with a roar of voices echoing Stoick's words. They would carry on.

For Hiccup.

* * *

As the night settled in and first day's work of rebuilding ceased, Toothless lay resting in the Haddock household. He had done so for most of the day under the insistence of both Valka and Gothi. With a multitude of salves and oils to ease the burns to his neck, the dragon was trying to sleep. Naturally, he couldn't. It wasn't to do with the responsibilities of being the new Alpha. It wasn't even to do with the fact that he was in pain. No, this was more to do with the empty bed that rested so near his own. The sight was just plain alien to the Night Fury, like he was staring at a picture that was missing something glaringly obvious. He had chosen to rest here as he normally did in the hopes it would ease his mind. It was having the opposite effect This place just smelled of Hiccup. It smelled of their memories together. The times he had stayed up until the early hours listening to Hiccup fantasise about the lands they were going to find, the times they had worked together on editing the Book Of Dragons with their discoveries, even the odd time they had snuck in some extra food for a midnight snack. The room reminded him of nothing but the best times he had had with his human. So then... why did Toothless still feel so sad?

 _'Hiccup... I miss you. I miss you more than anything in the world. Why won't you talk to me?'_

Toothless still didn't get a response to his thought. The Night Fury whined, resting his head onto his front claws. It was early morning. Maybe he was starting to crack, mentally talking to someone who would never answer him. As his eyes slid shut, the dragon's back heaved as he felt the beginnings of tears start to form behind his eyelids. He knew this would be a recurring thing for a long time to come. Every night, sat in a place of remembrance and with no one else to share it with. The Night Fury spluttered, burying his head into his front claws and he softly wept to himself. He missed Hiccup _so_ much, more than his whole heart could stand. It hurt. More than his throat, more than his aching limbs, more than anything. He... just needed him. The vibrations of the dragon's noises rumbled through the floorboards of the house as he curled his body inwards on itself. Why wouldn't his other half speak to him like before? Had he done something wrong? Had he not been the good dragon Hiccup expected him to be...?

Toothless' thoughts were interrupted when he heard a deep growl catch his attention. He raised his head, his eyes looking wet in the dim glow of the latern nearby. Cloudjumper had nearly silently slipped his way upstairs, the larger of the pair watching him from afar near the floor's edge. Toothless averted his gaze, resting his head back on his claws with a nearly blank expression, the odd huff of air being the only clue that he was trying to stop his tears. Cloudjumper's expression frowned. He knew that his companion was hurting. Losing anyone close to you would do that. He also knew that the young one had so much responsibility thrown onto his shoudlers just for trying to do the right thing. The Stormcutter came closer, sitting by Toothless' side and leaning his head down to inspect the Night Fury over. He smelled sad. In fact, he smelled the same way that his Valka had done many times before over the last 20 years. Every so often, Cloudjumper would catch his rider clearly gripped by some sort of sorrow. Whether it was to do with her guilt of leaving her old life behind or losing some of their nest to Drago's forces, he had hated to see Valka that way. So keeping her tucked under his wing was what he did to help, offering her a bit of a cocoon to hide herself away from the world and rest. He had done that today for a very long time for Valka. He had never see her so upset, even though she had been happy to be finally home. He could only hope she had done most of her grieving today. Cloudjumper remembered that Toothless had tried to do the same thing before back at the Sanctuary, hopping round in his innocent demeanor and simply trying to make friends by hiding under his wing. To tell the truth, Cloudjumper almost felt a little guilty at having rebuffed him before, especially seeing his new Alpha like this. With a gentle movement, the Stormcutter raised up one of the wings on his side and gently draped it over Toothless' body. If it could ease a human's mind, why not a dragon's? The Night Fury's ear plates twitched, raising up in confusion as to why the world had suddenly turned darker. He looked upwards, seeing Cloudjumper staring down at him with a slightly cocked head. The gesture seemed more than appreciated as Toothless shuffled himself a little closer to warmth of his companion's body, resting his head down again with a shaky whine. Cloudjumper kept his head up, almost like he was standing guard over the Alpha. It was the least he felt he could do after today.

As Toothless finally started to drift after who knows how long, the lingering question in the Night Fury's head still rolled around in his thoughts. Had he really heard Hiccup today? Was his human still with him in some way?

And, if so, why is it that no one else appeared to have heard him?


	3. Ghosts & Delusions

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be**  
 **Chapter 3: Ghosts & Delusions**

The days just seemed to fly by after the attack. In between the business of the island working to thaw and repair their homes from the Bewilderbeast's attack and the addition of yet even more dragons to their little hideaway, Berk was thriving with activity. Even today, the largest of the Rumblehorns and Monstrous Nightmares were doing a fair share of heavy lifting, carrying great logs of timber between them in order to focus on repairing the rooftops. The Deadly Nadders and Gronckles worked together to repair the damaged waterway systems, their spikes and molten breath essentially welding sections together. Even the smallest Hobblegrunts and Terrible Terrors did their part, scuttling into the tighter spaces that needed attention and softening the joins of new arches to bend them into place. Indeed, Berk hadn't seen such a level of cooperation between human and dragon since that first time five years ago when they had all moved in. A sight to behold and one that a certain Dragon Master would've been proud of. If he had been here to see it. That little fact still occasionally gnawed at the back of Viking minds, even though it had been a few weeks since they had lost him. They had just begun to carve out a statue to honor him near the entrance to the Great Hall, the structure as high as the doors and yet somehow not imposing like the other statues off shore. With a map carved under one arm and a gaze that stared off towards the ocean, the statue was a gentle presence, like a protector rather than a great warrior. It was to act as a reminder of Hiccup's adventurous spirit and what he had achieved to make Berk reach this point. Toothless didn't agree. As he sat on a particular high ridge, overseeing the village from above like he was looking over the subjects of a kingdom, the Night Fury scowled at the statue. He hated it. Too much of a nasty reminder the real thing wasn't here.

One would be forgiven for thinking that Toothless was treating the island like his realm after he had attained a near royal status as the new Alpha. But Toothless had no real interest in using his authority in that manner. It would make him no better than Drago to wield that sort of control. The dragon had chosen a much more relaxed method of leadership, occasionally interjecting in affairs to direct certain dragons to certain tasks or aid in the collection of food for them all. He had done everything he could think that an Alpha should do to protect those under his care and command. He'd swallowed his nerves and the lingering negativity that clung to his heart even after all this time when necessary, doing so in some notion it would help. Maybe it was because he was hoping that keeping his mind active and busy would distract him from the fact he was having to do this alone. Maybe it was in some vain hope that doing what was expected of him as a good dragon would reward him again. That somehow the Viking gods in the unseen realm of Valhalla would allow Hiccup to speak with him once more.

 _'Hiccup... why won't you talk to me again...? Will they not let you...?'_

Toothless had been asking himself that question on repeat for a few days. Ever since he had heard his Viking speak to him, encourage him to take down Drago and his Bewilderbeast in the moment he had needed it most, the Night Fury had tried to make him do it again. He had fulfilled his duties, he had put on a brave face, he'd done it all. That had been fruitless, so he had decided to scour the island for something instead, thinking that maybe something about Berk itself was letting him communicate. Valka had partially scolded him for not resting after burning his throat, Astrid had done even more so. And Gothi... well, who knew that she could be so intimidating for a mute. But still, he had searched and spied and investigated anything he could. He traveled to the forests, to the workshop, to the Great Hall, to the Training Arena. He found no trace of his Hiccup, not anywhere. There was only one place he hadn't looked. But he didn't want to go back there. It was too painful to even consider. Despite all of that, the Night Fury was convinced he had heard something that day. It wasn't just his brain playing tricks on him, those words had been directed purposely at him. They had sounded too genuine, too real for it to be anyone else but his beloved Viking. Naturally, there was no way he could prove it or explain it to the others. And even if it was the case, then how come he hadn't heard that voice since? Why hadn't Hiccup responded to his pleas? Toothless sighed to himself as he began to make his way back to the village with graceful leaps down the rock. He was thinking too much again. Thinking had led to too many sleepless nights for him. It was kind of pathetic. The great Alpha of the dragons, their protector and commander, broken by merely thinking about a human boy. And he knew Hiccup didn't like seeing him in this way. He shook his head as he reached village level, walking past all the hustle and bustle of the repair projects in order to find something that would take his mind of it. Keep busy, keep distracted, keep yourself from thinking. It was all the dragon could do.

* * *

"Alright, that's one more down, NEXT!"  
Gobber's workshop was booming today. Apart from the usual saddle building and maintenance, he was now knee deep in requests for brand new ones to be fitted to all the new species of dragon that had come to rest on Berk. And that had come with its own share of problems. With so many spines in all the most difficult places, how could anyone be expected to keep up with demand? Not to mention, the armored dragons from Drago's army were now slowly being demilitarized since the iron from them could be used for extra parts in future. He was just glad he had an extra pair of hands in both Stoick and Valka that day. No job too small to serve your people and all that. Right now, the pair of them were moving one of the largest pieces off a Raincutter, holding onto the edges of a steel helmet that had been fastened to the dragon's head. The object crashed to the ground with the other fragments of metal, just as Gobber looked up from hacking away at a semi-molten piece of his own.  
"Grump! What have I told you about the forge fire?!" Grump himself looked up from his lazy stupor, rolling his eyes somewhat at the notion of having to do work. He coughed in a violent burst of flame, at least having gained some more control over his fire to actually set the forge furnace ablaze instead of half the shop. Gobber shook his head with a light chuckle. Some things never changed. Stoick let out a sigh of relief at having let the metal piece down, smiling softly towards his wife as she wiped her own brow. He took a few steps towards her and gently rested a hand on her shoulder.  
"We make a good team, eh Val?" he mused aloud. Valka snickered, nudging her husband's chest with her much smaller fist.  
"Even if I was the one doing most of the lifting?" she joked. She faced him properly, holding onto his bulky frame. "I know I haven't really said it enough over the last few weeks, but... thank you, Stoick. For convincing me to come back."  
"For you, my dear, anything," Stoick said simply, brushing a hand over her cheek. Indeed, he was eternally grateful that she had decided to come back to his side once more. The recent times would've been torture to cope with without her support. At the same time, he also knew it was just as difficult for her as it was for him. It had always broken the chief's heart to see his wife in distress, ever since Hiccup had been born. All those years ago when it looked like he wouldn't make it, it seemed laughable looking back on it given what he had accomplished.  
 _'I wonder what he'd make of all this,'_ Stoick wondered mentally, the thought of his son causing his positive expression to falter. Valka noticed it immediately, her own gentle smile threatening to disappear. To both of them, it still hurt. No amount of time would ever change that. But they would learn to cope. Valka decided to change the subject, tugging at her husband's arm to see to the next dragon waiting patiently in line.  
"Come on, love, we still have work to do." Stoick blinked, breaking his concentration on his sad thoughts. Being occupied with the daily grind was a welcome distraction as he followed his partner's order.

As the orders came in and the busy nature of the day continued relentlessly, Valka decided to take a break on one of the nearby seats. She was content for the moment watching Gobber and Stoick work, taking a large swig of water from a mug. She had to admit to herself that it hadn't been easy to reaccustom to such heavy lifting after 20 years. After all, the dragons had taken care of most of those tasks for her in the past. But every Viking had to do their part, so she wasn't complaining. If anything, it made her feel like she was properly part of Berk again. Valka stretched her arms upwards, hoping silently that nothing would crack when she did so. That would show her age terribly. Thankfully, nothing did. However, something else did grab her attention when she heard the unmistakable crooning noise of a dragon coming up to her side. It seemed to have come up incredibly quickly. She turned her head, greeted by the sight of one such creature.  
"Oh, hello beautiful," Valka cooed to Toothless, gesturing out her hands to rub around his head and bring him closer. "What brings you down here?" The Night Fury didn't seem to notice her words at first. It appeared he was looking around the workshop, almost like he was trying to spot something amid the whirring blades, raging furnace and racks of tools. Valka's expression hardened into one of concern, eventually touching Toothless' snout to get his attention. With a surprised blink, he hummed in response to her touches, at least showing that he still appreciated her company as much as he did back at the Sanctuary. That was an encouraging sign.  
"Were you looking for something, Toothless?" she inquired, trying to follow his line of sight into the mess of the shop. Toothless was sure she wouldn't have seen anything even if he was able to answer her. No one ever did except for him. But he could've sworn that from a distance... there had been a glimpse of something in the reflection of a shield hung up on the wall. A person.

 _'That couldn't have been a person... but...'_

Toothless had rushed to try and catch the mystery figure but had seemed to be too late to do so. Now he saw nothing except what Valka saw. The dragon crooned to himself at being too slow, his eyes drifting towards the ground. He grimaced at himself, feeling like he was chasing ghosts. He felt like he had seen this same thing a thousand times over already. Why did it keep happening?

 _'Stupid Toothless, stupid...'_

Valka, guessing that Toothless' neck was what was giving him trouble and making him wince like that, decided to do a bit of inspection to distract his thoughts. As she ran her fingertips over Toothless' jaws to open them and inspect the damaged tissue at the back of his throat, they brushed across the many ridges and spikes surrounding his head. The dragon's eyes followed them as she moved. She could tell they were becoming stiffer like spines, some of the bases for new ones just starting to form under the surface of the scale. Seems that becoming the Alpha had led to a miniature growth spurt, the former Dragon Thief smiling softly to herself. Something about that fact of growing up made her feel a little warm inside, probably the mothering aspect taking over.  
"Let's see how that throat of yours is healing, eh? Open up, now," she ordered calmly. As Toothless obeyed and opened his mouth, she watched as the Night Fury's teeth slid away into his gums, allowing her to see at the back of his neck. It was still a little raw looking with that red color, but much better than the hours immediately following the battle. "Ah, another few salve applications and you'll be as good as new. That Gothi can work wonders with those potions of hers..." Valka concluded, seeming satisfied with his progress as she rubbed over his tongue. Toothless snorted as she eventually retracted her hands from his mouth, licking over his lower jawline to settle back to normal. Valka smiled at him, gently rubbing behind one of his ear plates, an affection that was returned with a light pushing of his head. Toothless considered Valka to be one of his primary sources of comfort nowadays. The way she interacted and spoke with him along with the other dragons... well, it was obvious where his Hiccup had gotten it from.

 _'She has such a nice aura. Just like you do... did.'_

As the Night Fury's expression soured at thinking that, Valka picked up on it. Toothless usually sought her out whenever his thoughts were getting to him. It was obvious for anyone to see, especially with the looks that he gave her. Every so often, he seemed to be at a loss of what to do and within minutes he would be close to her. She had assumed it was just the pressures of being the Alpha at first and she was the only one with the sort of experience Hiccup had with dragons. But because he always went to her, it was clearly something else. Just like them, the Night Fury was still hurting, just not from his wounds. He just wanted something, anything that reminded him of his Hiccup. He was tired of being alone. Valka was more than happy to be that support if it was needed. Doing so gave her a sense of a continued connection to her son, the one that she had only just managed to reconcile after 20 years apart. Now, caring for his dragon in this way even though he was no longer around helped to keep his memory alive inside of her. But Toothless seemed like he needed more than just that hint of a link. He needed his rider back home and Valka knew she couldn't work miracles like that. The Night Fury's previous promise to himself of finding a way to bring him back had seemed more impossible the more he thought about it. And that's what worried Valka. It had been weeks since Hiccup had died, nearly approaching a month. Toothless had not changed at all since. He was still nearly emotionless most of the time and when he wasn't, they weren't good feelings he expressed. She honestly wasn't sure to do. She had helped her own dragons when they were presented with injury or pain, even some form of grief when one of their own was captured or killed. But Toothless was a special case. She couldn't think of what to say or do to make it better.  
"Wait there, boy," Valka said, raising her palm to keep the Night Fury still. Given how he didn't have his usual energy, it wasn't a hard feat to accomplish. Toothless did as he was told, sitting with his wings and tail tucked around himself. He felt an odd itch on his brow and licked one of his paws before rubbing at the spot like a cat. Valka smiled sadly at his behavior before she sprang to her feet, grabbing her staff and taking a few steps the other way to talk to Stoick. She needed help. The chief himself had just finished seeing someone off with a new saddle when his wife grabbed his attention with a light touch to his back.  
"Stoick? Could we talk?"  
"Of course, my dear," the giant of a man replied, following Valka's lead off to the side. Her voice was hushed, occasionally glancing over her shoulder at Toothless. The dragon just sat there, not even distracted by the noises of the day in the distance.  
"I'd just like you to lend me your ear. I... I'm a little stumped to be honest."  
"About what? Coming home? Val, I know it's probably difficult being back here after all this time, but you're settling in fine."  
"Oh, no, it's not about me," she assured him, though she did squeeze one of his arms in gratitude for his concern. He had always been one to jump to conclusions quickly. "It's... I don't know what to do about Toothless." Stoick frowned.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I don't know, he... just seems lost. Like there's nothing much of him left. He does his part for the other dragons as the Alpha, but everything of that sweet creature I met a month ago isn't there anymore. He keeps coming to me for some sort of relief from... being alone and I have no idea what to do." Valka's sentence trailed off as Stoick suddenly hugged her tightly to his chest. He could tell this was starting to eat her up inside. To be someone who had been among dragons for years longer than anyone else on Berk and not figure out how to help one of them meant a lot to his wife. Especially since this situation involved their son. He had known about that compassion since the days of the Dragon War and that's why he loved her. Stoick looked down at Valka, meeting eye to eye.  
"Val, I won't pretend to know what the answer is. But if there is anyone who knows, it'll be you. You just need to think on what you know and trust your instincts. And, in time, Toothless will be back his normal self. It might take a while, but you'll see." Valka would've liked to say she believed him and she did to a degree. But how often had she dealt with dragons that had developed a bond between a human as strongly as Toothless and Hiccup? She sighed, thankful Stoick's frame was large enough to hide her face as she bit her lower lip.  
"I wish he was here," she said simply. Stoick, freezing at the audible mention of Hiccup, nodded his head too as he stroked over the back of her head.  
"Me too, Val. Me too."

* * *

A few moments later, Valka emerged from the bowels of the shop. Toothless was still that there waiting for her, perking up an ear when he heard the subtle vibrations of the beads in her staff. The Viking sighed, glancing over the dragon. He looked exhausted more than anything else. Maybe something to help him sleep properly would go him some good. It seemed like a trip to Gothi was on the table again, Valka settling on the idea as she knelt down in front of the Night Fury.  
"Well, you're almost all healed. Let's go get one last bit of salve to get you back in shape, eh?" she suggested, trying to keep Toothless' spirits up with her tone. The dragon nodded his head, even daring a trace of a smile. He felt very grateful that she was trying to help. He followed her obediently as Valka walked past him, leading him through the winding streets of Berk and up the path to Gothi's perched house.

Valka lightly rapped her fingers against Gothi's door, the slightly cool breeze making the altitude feel much higher than it was. Why the elder chose to be so high above ground like this, she couldn't say. But Valka had to admit she liked the view. It took a few more minutes of patient waiting for Gothi to show herself, the old woman's tiny body stumbling her way out with a nearly toothless grin. Valka bowed her head as a sign of respect, gesturing towards the Night Fury before she spoke in a quietened voice.  
"Thank you for taking the time to see me, elder. I just need something to aid in sleep. Specifically for him," Valka explained, gesturing her staff towards Toothless. Gothi looked past Valka's taller frame, her eyes squinting as she looked the dragon over. She hobbled a little closer, using her own staff for support to peer over him. Toothless, sensing her eyes upon him, looked at her a little unnerved. As much of a help as Gothi had been to his injuries, something about her overall demeanor towards most of the things she did kind of creeped him out.  
"His throat's healing nicely, if that's what you're wondering," Valka spoke up, trying to be of help. She kind of had to partially agree with Toothless on this one. As Gothi continued to stare over him, the former Dragon Thief found this particular inspection to be a little unsettling. What was she looking for? Gothi ceased her inspection, seeming to be satisfied with what she found when returning to the small table of different bottles she kept outside. Even as her bony old hands did their work to fix up the sleeping salve, she continued to stare at Toothless. The Night Fury stared back, rumbling a little awkwardly at her intense gaze. But then he noticed something peculiar. The elder wasn't actually staring at him. She was staring slightly to his left side, like there was something hovering over or near his shoulder. But there couldn't be. The dragon didn't feel any presence looming and it certainly wasn't giving him a sense of danger. He turned his head, trying to see what the old woman was seeing but found nothing. Still, Gothi's stare did not break. She eventually finished mixing up her salve and handed the concoction in a small bottle to Valka. Valka bowed again in silent thanks, gesturing with her staff to Toothless that he should follow her back down to the village. Toothless huffed as his own way of showing gratitude, but continued to stare at Gothi as he walked. The old lady kept looking nearby him, following the... whatever she was staring at even as the dragon headed down the ramp. Toothless shivered, seemingly utterly puzzled. There wasn't actually anything there.  
Right?

As Valka and Toothless walked back towards the Haddock household through the center of the village, they were surprised to see some spots on the ground were unusually damp. Some puddles had even formed, the source of the water having come from the nearby well in streams over its edge. The explanation for it was rather simple, one that made Valka roll her eyes. She knew it was probably the twins. They'd kept talking about making an exploding well gag for days. She moved her hand, gesturing Toothless to keep following her despite the mess as her shoes made a light splash in one particularly large puddle. As the dragon did as he was told, focusing his head on his current task, his own claw pressed into that same water when he moved. And something caught his eye. He didn't see it clearly and he didn't see it for long. But just like the shield in the workshop earlier, Toothless saw something reflected in the surface of the water. Something that had no place being there. There had been no one walking beside him when the reflection did just that, vanishing out of sight before he could make out any details. Toothless blinked, crooning in a confused manner as he peered at the small puddle. All he saw was his own face and the sky above staring back at him.

 _'Maybe I just didn't notice them next to me...?'_

He shook his head. He was more tired than he thought, a sudden yawn seizing him as he pressed onward back home. The journey continued, just as two of the more burly Vikings hurried past with a fresh steel beam of Gronckle Iron for one of the nearby reconstruction projects. Most of the new houses were being reinforced in this way specifically thanks to the attack. But that wasn't a concern of Toothless'. What was a concern was when he saw the same thing again. He could tell this time it was a person, reflected ever so briefly in the shiny surface of the metal before disappearing from view when it moved. Toothless saw more of them too. Tall, black and red clothing, messy hair. No... it couldn't be. His mind wouldn't be cruel enough to him to start making hallucinations a thing, would it?

 _'No, it's not real. I'm just tired, that's all. I just need to rest...'_

Even despite what he was thinking, Toothless couldn't help but emit a worried whining sound as they walked onward. Valka, hearing his sound of distress, stopped mid-step and turned back towards the Night Fury.  
"Toothless? Are you alright?" she asked, her hands reaching for the usual spots around his head to keep him calm. They didn't seem to be working, the dragon's behaviour anxious. His eyes were flicking around, wondering when the next fleeting glimpse of this phantom would appear. Valka, noticeably worried as her brow formed lines from her frown, gently pulled at Toothless to keep him walking.  
"Almost home now, come on," she said sweetly. Toothless had no other choice but to follow her. The workshop was the only other building between them and the small inclined path towards the house. Quieter now than earlier. But that only made what he saw next all the more obvious. With no other distractions of machinery noise or other dragons, Toothless found himself staring at the exact same shield he'd seen before. And in its reflection was the exact same man. The figure only stood inches away from his side in the shield, his eyes on the house they were supposed to be travelling to. His clothing of black leather with symbols of red was tarnished and worn, parts of it frayed and burned like he had been in some sort of grand fight. One of his hands rested against his stomach, a gruesome blackened wound still somehow managing to bleed over his fingers as he walked. He didn't seem to be in any pain. If anything, it was like the injury was just an messy inconvenience. The figure's hair wasn't even blowing in the sea breeze rolling in off the waves. But his face. Toothless knew it. Even with those weary, bloodshot eyes, it was unmistakable as to who it was. As if right on cue, the figure paused when he realized they weren't walking anymore. He began to turn his head in confusion, first at Toothless and then directly into the shield. The dragon and man made eye contact. Toothless' eyes began to well over, the Night Fury shell shocked as to what he was seeing. The reflection seemed equally as misty eyed, though more so in a way to show he was overjoyed that he could be seen. The dragon's jaws fell open, just as fresh tears rolled off his cheeks to the ground. A single step forward towards the shield was the only warning he would give.  
Just as Hiccup began to mouth his name.

 _"Toothless...?"_

The Night Fury pounced with a desperate cry, a sound that broke the relative quiet of the late afternoon. Valka spun around on the spot, just in time to see Toothless frantically leaping towards the shield in the workshop and tearing at it with his claws. The metal fell to the ground, the dragon's claws batting and scratching at it as if it would somehow set his Hiccup free. But it was to no avail when he realized the reflection was gone. Toothless only saw himself looking back in the shield as his beloved other half had once again disappeared. And it made him hurt. It made him ache until he couldn't stand it. It made him angry enough to lose control.

 _'NO! NO, NO, NO! COME BACK!'_

The dragon's tail began to whip around wildly, fierce roars piercing the air as his claws starting to grab at anything metal to destroy it, to tear it to pieces as if it would somehow set his Viking free from the other side. The workshop was effectively being destroyed as Toothless thrashed about, shields and swords and the scrap metal from Drago's armor being flung about at random and threatening to cause some serious damage. The sudden racket caused Stoick and Gobber to hurry from the depths of the building to see, the chief suddenly leaping forward automatically. He'd dealt with out of control dragons before. But with Toothless, there was no guarantee he'd be able to succeed.  
"Toothless! Toothless, stop!" Stoick cried, his burly frame suddenly lunging forward to try and pin the dragon down to the ground. Gobber took the initiative and got to the other side, grabbing at one of the Night Fury's wings even as he howled in defiance.

 _'NO, LET ME GO! HE NEEDS ME! HICCUP! HICCUP!'_

Valka covered her mouth with her hand in shock at the Night Fury's behavior. It reminded her too much of the time that this situation had happened with a much more brutal outcome. Spurred on by instinct, she twirled her staff around her head, making it look effortless as the vibrating frequency of the head resonated in the air. It slammed into the ground and Toothless' ears picked up on it, his frantic flailing starting to slow as the sound began to calm him down. And it was then that Valka saw the dragon was not angry. He was not doing this in some sort of draconian rage, he was not letting out all of his pent up aggression after a month of keeping it held back. Toothless was terribly, terribly upset. His teared up eyes said it all. What on earth had he seen to make him lose control like this? By now, a substantial crowd was beginning to form, staring in shock at the Alpha having to be restrained in such a way. They'd never see Toothless act like this before. The dragon roared again, the sound breaking into a whimper as both Stoick and Gobber held him back.

 _'Please, I saw him! He saw me! I need to save him!'_

Valka hurried over in a feral like stance, keeping her body low to the ground and towards Toothless' head. She used the same hand gesture she had done when they had first met, a gentle outstretching of her palm before rolling her wrist off to the side and down to the ground. Toothless' panicked eyes followed it before they rolled back into his skull, his head falling to the ground with a last tired whine. Quickly uncorking the bottle that Gothi had given her, Valka hoisted up Toothless' upper jaw and poured the mixture onto his tongue. That should keep him unconscious for the rest of the day if it worked right. Stoick and Gobber panted as they rose to their feet, exhausted from having to hold him down even for such a short amount of time. The chief shot his wife a grateful look as he got his breath back. The other riders had now assembled as part of the crowd, just as Astrid returned from a training exercise in the Arena. She hurried over to Fishlegs.  
"What just happened?" she asked. "I thought heard a dragon all the way back there."  
"Toothless, he... he kind of snapped. Started tearing up the shop!" Fishlegs replied.  
"Like, seriously, totally lost it," Tuffnut carried on. "He has a problem with metal or somethin', 'cause he was just going crazy on all of it."  
"And we usually condone random destruction, but this was just weird," Ruffnut finished. Astrid frowned with worry. Had the pressure just been too much for Toothless? Or had something else set him off? Stoick meanwhile finally managed to speak, looking towards Valka as if expecting an explanation for why he'd had to restrain a Night Fury.  
"What... was that?"  
"I-I don't know," Valka admitted. "I didn't see anything, he just started lunging. Something must've spooked him."  
"Well if you could make sure you give me some ample warning before he destroys the shop next time?!" Gobber grumbled, shaking his head at the now sated dragon. Stoick scowled at his friend and shouted over to Spitelout and some other nearby Vikings to help carry Toothless back into the house. Valka in particular was more than a little shaken by it. Toothless was the Alpha and the Alpha needed to keep control. If he couldn't keep control of himself, then what chance did the rest of the dragons have...?

* * *

"No, stop! He was just trying to help me!"  
It was no use. No matter how much he had tried to yell at Toothless to stop when he was wrecking the shields, no matter how he had hurt his voice trying to stop his father and Gobber being too rough with his dragon, he had been powerless to stop them. He knelt by Toothless as Valka sedated him, his heart breaking at seeing the dragon so utterly broken in turn.  
"Toothless... b-bud..." He had to hold back tears of his own, slamming into the ground in anger with his fist. Naturally, no one would hear or feel that. They hadn't been able to do that to anything. He had only managed to break through one time, way back when he had tried to help Toothless conquer Drago. He didn't know how he had managed that, but he hadn't since. Despite all that had happened, he hadn't just faded away. After he had been struck down, he had found himself staring at his own body, bleeding and burning as Drago walked away. He had watched his own funeral take place, he had seen Toothless try to run after him in a futile gesture. He had been there when his parents had taken the time to mourn him for 3 days straight after the battle. He had been there when Astrid had locked herself away to give herself the time to grieve.  
And without fail, he had been there every time Toothless had cried himself to sleep. That was the worst thing he'd seen.  
In each instance, he had been unable to speak or interact with any of them. He was a literal ghost, trapped in a plain of existence that had him so close and yet so far away from everyone he loved.

It was like a form of torture, being forced to watch your loved ones weep for you whilst you were always mere inches away but unable to tell them you were still there. The Vikings had always described death as being a grand occasion, where the heartiest of all warriors would be hand picked by Odin or Freyja to spend the rest of eternity in pleasure and glory until the day of Ragnarok. They had said it was something all Vikings aspired to be chosen for, lest they be cast to the endless realm of the giantess Hel. He had found no such stories. He had found no such reward for falling in battle. He had found no sign of the gods they had held dear. Instead, he had been doomed to wander his home as a phantom, wounds and all. A shade that wanted only to be with those he loved again but could never achieve it. He wondered if the gods had punished him for his alliance with the dragons in this way. All the more reason to hate them. His heart had soared when Toothless had somehow managed to see him in that shield. It had quickly shattered when he couldn't a mere second afterwards. And now here he was. The young man, the former Dragon Master of Berk, a broken shadow of what he once was.

As Hiccup slumped down against the walls of the workshop to the ground, his head fell forward into the arm resting along his knees. His free hand clenched at the dirt in his rage whilst he wept freely. He had never wanted to do this to his parents. He'd never wanted to do this to the other riders and the villagers. He had never wanted to this to Astrid. And he especially had never wanted to do this to Toothless.

"Toothless... oh, gods, whatever else is out there, please... let him forgive me."


	4. The Journey Begins

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be**  
 **Chapter 4: The Journey Begins**

Morning came in a groggy manner the next day. Toothless woke to the usual sounds of Terrible Terrors clambering to get their ideal perch in the morning sun, the scratching against the rooftop being the only alarm he needed. He had woken to find himself back inside the Haddock household, assuming he must have been carried there after Valka put him under. He felt a tinge of remorse in his gut for going crazy in the shop, realizing that the sight must have been either amusing or downright alarming for everyone involved. It wasn't like him to just trash things after all. The Night Fury licked around his jaws as he tried to pry himself up from the ground. Surprisingly, he felt much more refreshed than he had a few hours ago, like his sudden burst of aggression had somehow helped. Or was it desperation more than anger? He was still too groggy to really think on it, pushing himself to his feet as much as the rest of his body wasn't wanting him to leave the warmth of his rock.  
"Don't be getting up too fast, dear," a voice suddenly said, causing the half-awake dragon to twitch his ear plates. That voice would be Valka who was currently sat by his side on a fur blanket. She urged him to sit down and continue his rest with a gentle pressing of her hand on his forehead. Toothless seemed puzzled as to why she was here, but didn't disobey her insistence as he laid down again. His eyes crossed inwards a little to stare up at her, the dragon's confusion obvious when an equally confused sounding noise rumbled into her touch. Either way, he was happy to have her near him again. Valka simply smiled at the dragon as she stroked along his head spikes.  
"You got spooked by something fierce out there," she explained. "Stoick and Gobber are checking the island to see if there's anything that caused it. And I suppose I thought I'd stay to... make sure you were alright." The Night Fury blinked, continuing to stare into her eyes. Her answer seemed a bit evasive.

About an hour or so ago, Valka had spoken with her husband about what they should do after the mess at the shop. Together, they had formed a plan to get things back on track. As brutal as it sounded to reduce the situation to mere words and tactics, an out of control Alpha was not what Berk needed right now, not when the other dragons relied on the presence of a leader to keep them focused on their tasks. Stoick had vowed to double check whether someone was deliberately trying to set Toothless off, some sort of remnant trick or trap that Drago had somehow managed to leave behind in his wake. It was unlikely that they'd find anything to really explain it, but he'd try at the very least. It would be just like that snake to have left something that would manipulate events in his favor. At the same time, that left Valka to volunteer for the hardest task of all. As the only one who could really have anywhere near the same skill with dragons as Hiccup did, it fell to her to deal with Toothless directly. Even right now, she wasn't completely sure about how she was going to approach this. But it needed to be done for the dragon's sake and everyone else's. Valka had asked Cloudjumper to keep an eye on things around the island for her, the Stormcutter knowing that she would need space and time to do this right. He knew her plan all too well, especially since she had done the same thing for him only a few years ago. When a fellow dragon had been lost to one of Drago's traps in one of the more brutal clashes with the madman, a dragon that had been extremely important to him, Valka had been the only soul who could help Cloudjumper realize the importance of not letting that negativity fester. All it ended up doing was consuming you from the inside without you knowing until it would just burst into the open, just like with Toothless. Cloudjumper hoped she could provide the same care for his Alpha. With a parting nuzzle and an air of duty about him to keep the peace for the day, he had left just moments before Valka had set up camp, as it were. And now they were here, with Valka staring down at her son's dragon as the Night Fury looked back at her in turn. She exhaled, calling on her memory of helping her own dragon through that difficult time to ease Toothless' burden. She was prepared.

* * *

"So how long are we doing this for again?"  
"As long as it takes."  
"And how long's that?"  
"I don't know, Gobber. Being thorough takes time."  
"We've checked the entire _village_ over, Stoick. There isn't a single trace of anything unusual that could've spooked the Night Fury that bad. Certainly nothing that Bludvist could've done on his own."  
"Well, there had to be something! Toothless doesn't act like that, he just doesn't." Stoick knew that his friend had a point though. They had spent the last few hours searching fruitlessly around the shop, around the village center, around every place that Toothless had been yesterday. It had been tricky to be detailed in their examinations since all the repairs were still ongoing, but they'd done it and subsequently found nothing. There was only one single place they hadn't checked yet. The elder's hut had been the last place that his wife and the Night Fury had visited before the chaos at the workshop. The chief grumbled to himself as the pair of them walked up the steep ramp. There had be some reason for his son's dragon's odd behavior. What on earth could've done it? If it turned out to be one of the old woman's potions, Stoick would be livid.  
"Oh, Thor almighty..." Gobber complained, stretching his shoulders out with a rather sickly sounding pop of his joints. "You'd think it'd be something simple like an eel, wouldn't you? You know, something _easy_ for a change. But no, it just has to be something that's practically invisible."  
"Would't be Berk if it was easy, " Stoick replied simply. "We've dealt with worse dragon incidents than this, Gobber. I'm sure it'll be sorted once Val does her part too."  
"Hopefully. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being one of the trolls getting up to no good again."  
"What have I told you about bringing up the trolls?"  
"Hey, hey, don't blame me for just trying to think!" Gobber shrugged. "Who's to say they couldn't cause dragons to go crazy at the same time, huh?"  
Stoick rolled his eyes. They were getting nowhere fast. Hopefully Gothi would give them at least some sort of insight, his towering bulk seeming to almost be as large as the house itself. His fist seemed to forget how to be gentle as it banged against the door in Stoick's version of a 'light knock'. Only a few seconds past before the door swung open, the obviously grumpy face of Gothi peering up at the chief as she hobbled outside. Stoick bowed his head, offering an apologetic face for forgetting his own strength.  
"Forgive the intrusion, elder. We just needed to talk, about what happened yesterday." Gothi raised one of her brows and simply nodded her head, sliding the door behind her closed as she slowly made her way forwards to the usual spot for communicating. Gobber stood ready to act as a translator, curious to see what the old woman would say. Or write. Whatever one would prefer. Stoick knelt down before her, keeping his voice gentle. Even the chief had to consider the elder of the village with respect, it had always been that way.  
"Gothi. Val and Toothless came to see you yesterday, didn't they?" Gothi nodded her head, starting to drag the end of her staff into the loose pile of sand that she kept nearby to explain the situation. Gobber peered down at her writing to make sense of it.  
"Yes, they had arrived just before the dragon lost control," Gobber translated. "She says that they came up to get some more healing...spit? Well, that doesn't sound good for heali-OW!" The Viking didn't have a chance to finish his sentence before Gothi whacked him on the head with the sharp end of her staff. He needed to stop misreading her letters, he'd taken enough bashes to the cranium as it was. "Argh, sorry! Healing _salve_. After that, they just left."  
"And nothing else? Nothing out of the ordinary or unusual?" Stoick asked. To the chief's surprise, Gothi hesitated in writing down the next part, her face contorting to show an expression of indecision. He noticed it immediately, leaning in closer to the elder before she wrote again.  
"She says there was nothing wrong with Valka that she could see," Gobber said. "But the dragon had... something about him." Well, that was obvious to anyone. Toothless had been struggling to keep his emotions at bay during the repairs. But both Stoick and his companion looked concerned. Gothi didn't seem to be talking about that. Was something wrong with Toothless that they couldn't see?  
"What do you mean by 'something'? Is Toothless in danger?"  
"She says no. It wasn't something wrong with him personally. It was something else. Something was with him, following him."  
"An intruder?" Stoick asked with alarm. "Someone you spotted? One of Drago's men?" Gothi shook her head, grunting with a pause to think of the best way to phrase this. It would sound absurd, like madness even. But there was no other way she could think to explain it.  
"There was a presence. She says she could sense it, always near the dragon's side. It disappeared after he went mad, but she could still tell it was there all the way back down to the shop." Gobber looked at Stoick, raising a brow at his lack of being convinced. "Honestly, I think I preferred my troll explanation to invisible draugr."  
"I don't think we have a case of ghosts, Gobber," Stoick mumbled, looking back down at the elder. "Are you sure, Gothi? Maybe you were just confused." A sudden rapid scrawling into the ground with a furious scowl soon answered that question.  
"Hey, language!" Gobber warned. "And no, for your information, we don't think you're senile either. Just wasn't expecting to deal with literal phantoms today." Satisfied with that admission, Gothi continued to scrawl.  
"She says that whatever it was, it's like something that had been trapped between our world and the next. And it anchored itself around Toothless, like it was trying to use him to get through to us." Stoick rolled his eyes a little. He knew Gothi was eccentric, it seemed to be a required trait if you were to be a mystic who was stuck in the old ways. Spirits and tales of draugr and whatnot seemed to be the norm when they consulted her for things they couldn't explain. But this was a little far fetched, even for her. He'd play along for now.  
"Alright then. Did you, uh... recognize anything about the presence? Something that would've set Toothless off like that?" Gothi nodded, drawing in a final set of curves to her drawings to emphasis the point.  
"She said that its aura reminded her of someone. It was stubborn, headstrong. Great sense of care. She says it kind of reminded her of...you, Stoick." Stoick's eyes widened, his voice deliberately slow as if to confirm he had heard that correctly.  
"...what did you say?"  
"She says it reminded her of..." Gobber trailed off, his eyes widening at the last word Gothi wrote. The old woman merely nodded her head, fully anticipating the reaction. "...Hiccup." Stoick immediately scowled, rising to his feet. He gave a very short bow before turning away to head down the ramp, Gobber hurrying after him.  
"Stoick, where are you going?"  
The chief didn't answer him and just kept walking. He wasn't sure whether to be insulted or confused. That elder had to be wrong, she had to. How on earth could that have been Hiccup? Hiccup was gone. He wasn't trapped anywhere, he certainly wasn't a damn ghost. He was in Valhalla where he should be. They had put this to rest weeks ago, to bring all that hope back after so long was just cruel to consider, almost at the same level as Drago. Regardless of what Stoick tried however, the seed of doubt had already been planted. What Gothi had sensed couldn't have been Hiccup. Unless... something had stopped him getting to Valhalla. If they'd done something wrong during that ceremony, then maybe she was telling the truth. She had been right about plenty before, mystical or otherwise, and she had no reason to lie to him in some false platitude of his son still being with them.  
But it was ridiculous to consider after all this time. It was painful to consider after all this time. Wasn't it?

* * *

"Toothless," Valka started, grabbing his full attention as her hands continued to stroke around his ear plates. "You've been so very brave over the last month. I know you've been trying your hardest to be a good Alpha, you really have been. You're almost a natural with how you've helped the others rebuild. But, beneath it all... I know your heart lies elsewhere still." The dragon hummed at her words and deliberately pretended not to know what she was talking about, his gaze wandering off to the side. Valka had anticipated this. It was this very problem she was trying to fix. She carried on, making sure Toothless would hear it by holding his head still.  
"Listen. Ever since we watched him sail to Valhalla, you've tried to keep all of it bottled inside. I know you have, you're doing it now. You've tried to be stronger than you've ever been before to help everyone else and I know that Hiccup would adore you for being so selfless." She paused, continuing to brush over the dragon's head like she was comforting one of the babies back at the Sanctuary. Perhaps in a way, that's how she saw Toothless right now. Alone and scared. "But then yesterday happened. It got too much to contain and you couldn't control yourself. You could've hurt someone, you could've hurt yourself."  
Toothless huffed weakly. It wasn't just him 'losing control', he had seen Hiccup, he _had_! And yet... at the same time, no one else did. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew there was some element of truth to Valka's words, especially as they were said in that stern mothering tone of hers. Maybe he hadn't seen Hiccup after all. As Valka said, maybe it had just gotten too much to take.  
"I know how it feels. Because I did the same," Valka admitted, her own expression faltering at having to admit this to anyone but Stoick. But her familiarity with the situation was all too relatable and it would drive the point home. Toothless perked in surprise at hearing that admission, focusing his eyes back on her own. She leaned back away from him for a moment, staring off towards the hole in the roof at the afternoon sky. "When we came home, I had tried to use the battle against Drago as an excuse to focus on what we had to do. But when it was over, I struggled to balance what I should be doing with what my heart wanted to do. Even though I was trying my hardest to integrate back into life here, all that pain kept building within me no matter how much I tried to hide it from everyone else. Stoick saw it, Cloudjumper saw it, everyone saw it except me. So, I made a decision. I hid myself away from everything with Stoick. I didn't come out for _days_. I cried for Hiccup with him, I mourned with him, I raged and wanted to destroy... and in the end, I let all of that sorrow out because I knew it was going to corrupt me if I didn't. And it's OK to do that, beautiful. It's OK to grieve, it's OK to miss someone you care for deeply. Letting that sadness out to go free doesn't mean you have to forget them. But if you let it build for as long as you can stand, then it's going to poison you, Toothless. It already is."  
The Night Fury's jaw slightly opened as he crooned at her, brushing his snout against her stomach. He had no idea that she had suffered just as much as he had. He had been too selfishly caught up in his emotional wall building to even notice that time she had disappeared from daily Berk life. He felt a little ill with guilt at hearing it. If he lost control like that again, then he _would_ hurt someone. He thought he was remaining connected to Hiccup by keeping those feelings inside him, but it hadn't done what he thought. And what about the other dragons? Would they be lost too if he was lost to himself? He would be the worst Alpha there ever had been.  
"I know it's not what you think you want." Valka continued. "It's not what any of us want when this happens. But you can't do this to yourself, Toothless. I know you won't forget him, never forget him. But let him go onward to Valhalla. It would break his heart to see you suffer like this."

* * *

"She's right, bud. You need to... let me go."  
Hiccup's voice was weary as he spoke. He was sat only a few feet away from them both, knees hunched up as his head rested on his arm. He still hadn't gotten used to how they couldn't see him, though it was unsurprising given the circumstances. Would they even want to, especially with this never healing wound he still bore in his stomach? It wasn't exactly the prettiest thing.  
"You know... not that you can hear me or anything." He had been here most of the previous evening as a silent observer, watching his dragon sleep and making sure he did properly. After all, it had been his fault that Toothless had attacked the shop so he wanted to make sure that the Night Fury faced no lasting repercussions from it. Valka was right with what she said. Hiccup hated seeing his other half in such distress. He didn't want to be the thing that stopped them all from moving on, that stopped his dragon from being the majestic Alpha he knew he could be. He wanted Toothless to be happy. A big ask for a dragon who only ever seemed happy when they were together. Hiccup would kill to experience that again, the warmth of his best friend's scale against his now eternally cold skin. But it was not to be, as much as he was still walking around down here rather in Valhalla.  
"Maybe it's why I'm still here. Because you.. _can't_ let me go," Hiccup wondered aloud, knowing that no one would be able to hear him no matter how loudly he talked. His voice starting to crack the more he carried on. "I... I-I don't want to let you go either, bud. I wish I could be sat there with you too, I wish I could make it all better, I wish that I could just... hold you, just once. But, I'm not supposed to be here. I'm... just a burden to everyone if I stay."  
Those last few words made Hiccup clench his teeth, his fists tightening against his leather bracers. Funny how life (and death) had a way of making things come full circle. He sighed, rubbing at his exhausted eyes. When he had first 'come back', he had found himself wandering an empty world. It had looked the same as when he were alive, the buildings and structures exactly as they were when he walked among the other Vikings. But with no one else there to occupy them. Unable to settle for that and because of his nature as a rule breaker, Hiccup had tried to find a way to see how his home had coped in absence. He soon discovered he could force himself to see what everyone else he'd left behind was doing, all he had to do was concentrate and try to anchor himself in place. Then he could glimpse into the living world. But that was about all he could do. He couldn't interact with any of them. The closest he'd gotten had been during the battle with Drago and that had proved nearly stressful enough to kill him all over again. He had done it only yesterday at Gothi's hut to make sure Toothless was healing up nicely. The shop had been an accident. Somehow, Toothless had managed to see him and he still didn't know how. He'd done a terrible thing by making his dragon hope. Hope was a cruel thing when against the impossible and Hiccup still felt guilty about it. Now, here he was, his mother and dragon before him as if he were sitting in the same room. It was why Hiccup was looking and feeling tired. Not from lack of sleep, no need to sleep when you're dead. But the sheer force of will he was having to exert to just to _see_ them.  
"And here I was thinking that the afterlife would be one great party with all the drinking and killing I could wish for." Hiccup's dark sense of humor hadn't faded even despite his death. The young Viking exhaled shakily, daring himself to outstretch a hand and try and touch Toothless' leg. Surely the gods would let him do that for his closest friend? Naturally, his fingers drifted through the dragon's limb like they were nothing but mist.  
"Ah, you guys really do hate me, don't you?" he grumbled to himself dryly. He shook his head. He had no reason to think that would work a second time. He leaned back and just continued to watch. At the very least, one of the perks of his situation was how he could watch his mother work. Who knows, maybe he'd pick up a few more tricks before he went off to Valhalla. Maybe they had some dragons that needed taming.  
"Trust her, bud," he found himself mumbling out loud. "She just wants to help you. "

* * *

Toothless felt a sudden insistence at the back of his mind, like a thought that was urging him to comply with Valka's orders. Not wanting to question where it came from, he suddenly nuzzled his snout against her hands, treasuring the comforting warmth she brought when she spoke. He had never known a warmth like it. It wasn't like the feeling he felt when he was around Hiccup, but it wasn't any less pleasant to feel and he couldn't really think as to why. It felt... parental. Like if he was simply a youngling and she was the one who cared for him. It felt nearly alien at the same time. Maternal, enlightening, words he didn't even know. The earliest days Toothless could remember from his own childhood had been serving the Red Death, ever since he had been barely old enough to fly. Whatever parental figures had been in his life had been long lost to the records of time. He hadn't really known what being with them had felt like, but with Valka, he was certainly getting an idea. Though nothing could ever replace the connection he shared with Hiccup, Toothless felt something nearly as unique when he was by his human's mother. Almost like she was acting as his own mother by proxy. Of course, it was silly to consider. Maybe the pair of them losing Hiccup had been what had drawn them to one another. But at the same time, it felt right. If Hiccup was his soul mate, his brother and other half, then why couldn't Valka be a parent to him as well? Stoick had been ever since they had known one another properly. The sole Dragon Master smiled just as warmly when she responded to his worried sounds, her hands still trailing gently around his more prominent scales. The dragon whimpered. The emotions were starting to build regardless of whether he was subconsciously still trying to hide them.

 _'Would Hiccup... want me to do that?'_

He had always thought that keeping all of this pain locked away was what Hiccup wanted. An Alpha needed to be strong for the sake of everyone else, just as a chief would protect his own. But he had misunderstood. Hiccup wouldn't have wanted him to simply hide those feelings inside, he would've wanted them gone so they wouldn't be a weight on the dragon's shoulders anymore. Especially if the Viking was the source of it. The Night Fury peered up at Valka, his expression seeming like it was asking for help. Valka hushed him with gentle utterances, moving her body a little closer to support the dragon's head. Such a young soul he was, those eyes vibrant even despite his sorrow. It reminded her of Hiccup when he was a baby, the way that he looked scared what was to come his way and yet still so full of energy and life. Her instincts manifested themselves at that thought as she started to speak.  
"I'll be with you for as long as it takes, dear. Me, Stoick, Cloudjumper, all of us. We're your family. But you have to let Hiccup go. Let it all go."  
Toothless would've been lost for words if he had the capacity to speak. Valka's patience and actions continued to comfort him, even as it conflicted with the heavy sadness clinging to his chest like an iron weight. The Night Fury sniffed once. He knew what this was supposed to be. This was supposed to be a goodbye wasn't it? It felt so... final. And that's what finally broke down that dam. As expected, every negative feeling he'd kept inside came bubbling to the surface as the dragon moved. All of the aching pain, the sadness that had gripped his heart, the Night Fury just let it come when he shuffled himself towards Valka. She winced at the noise Tootless made as he buried his head into her arms. There were no horrendous noises or tears this time. This wasn't like the the funeral or after the battle with Drago or even yesterday. Toothless' grief this time was much simpler, occasionally letting out a sad croon as he became lost in memories of his other half. He was surprisingly calm, even though Valka could feel him move the odd time against her stomach. No, this would be the last time he would be controlled by sadness over his human's death. He would not make his Hiccup sad anymore. He knew that if Hiccup was watching he'd want the same thing.  
"There you are, it's OK..." Valka cooed, brushing over Toothless' head as he shakily exhaled. He thought of a final word on it, temporary as it was in his mind. He would still hold that dream of one day seeing his human again in his heart. But his proxy mother was right and he loved her for setting his thoughts straight.

 _'My Hiccup... I... I still want to bring you home, even if I don't know how. But I'm sorry. I won't be sad anymore, I promise. Until we meet again, I promise I won't be sad again.'_

Hiccup thought that he'd become numb to his predicament as the weeks had passed by, but whenever it involved his beloved Night Fury, that always stirred the feelings again. At the same time, however, he knew it was for the best. He was proud of the dragon for remaining controlled, even though he was letting all of his emotions free. He even dared a smile. Though he knew Toothless couldn't hear him, he was whispering his own words of encouragement, moving forward on his knees to come close to his mother's side. As much as he could probably speak to Toothless if he tried, he didn't want to give his dragon that sense of false hope again, it would be too harsh. He wanted Toothless to carry on.  
"I know it'll be hard, bud, I know. But I am _so_ proud of you." he whispered, about to stretch out an arm to touch his dragon before remembering that he couldn't. "I'll see you again one day, Toothless. I promise. I love you." Hiccup leaned his head in, mimicking their usual gesture of nuzzling one another without actually making contact before he sighed, sitting back on his legs. He turned his attention towards his mother, her own gaze glossed over whilst her body only moved whenever Toothless did against her. She seemed lost in thought too. Hiccup's shoulders relaxed as he stood up. When this was over, when Toothless had finally let his grief end, he would probably disappear. Or so he would guess. Off to Valhalla at last when the Valkyries came. His fingers lightly ran over Valka's shoulder, once again seeming to pass through it as if it weren't there. As his concentration relaxed and the sight of his dragon and mother started to fade, Hiccup only spoke once. Futile effort or not, it felt appropriate to say.  
"Keep him safe for me, OK, Mom?"

At that moment, Valka felt a chill run through her. Not just a sudden hint of being cold, an actual feeling of something frozen brushing against her shoulder. A noticeable shiver ran its way down her spine as she was broken out of her thoughtful trance. One of her hands idly touched the spot that felt like it had been frozen. Something had touched her, that she was certain of it. But there was no one else here and it wasn't like the roof was leaking or anything.  
What was that...?

* * *

They sat for what felt like hours. Valka just stayed with Toothless without saying a word, the dragon not wanting to leave her side as his mind now focused on the happier times with Hiccup. He even braved a smile every now and then. That's what she wanted to see. The fond remembrances, not the pain. That was how you properly remembered someone who was gone. Still, the question of what had touched her kept replaying in her head, just as her attention was grabbed by the sound of the door swinging open downstairs. Toothless raised his head at the sound, his eyes half-lidded. Valka lowered her palm to ensure he stayed where he was.  
"It's alright, babe, I'll be right back, OK?" she hushed, pressing her fingers against the Night Fury's nose. With quiet, graceful movements, Valka used her staff to near silently swing down from the upstairs floor to the ground, making Stoick jump from how his wife had suddenly landed in front of him.  
"Val, you really need to give me more warning when you do that..."  
"Sorry, " she said with a shrug, setting her staff down on the nearby table. "Old habits die hard."  
"Any luck with him?"  
"I think so. I just did what I thought came natural. I think he'll be OK."  
"Good, good." Valka frowned when she noticed her husband pulling the same face. He seemed troubled, nearly angry, almost like he wasn't paying attention to her achievements this morning.  
"Stoick, what's wrong? What is it?" The chief huffed, sliding his helmet off his head as it clattered to the tabletop. He sat down, Valka quickly sitting opposite him as he did so.  
"I spoke with the elder. She said she knew what happened yesterday."  
"She did? I didn't know she'd seen anything from up there. What was it?"  
"... she said she could sense something following Toothless. That's what set him off."  
"That's no cause for concern, is it?" Valka asked. "You know what mystics are like. Besides, Toothless will be fine now, we saw to tha-"  
"She said it was _him_ , Val," Stoick interrupted. "She said that something was anchoring itself on Toothless and it reminded her of him." Valka turned silent. She shook her head, her previous advice to Toothless about letting go seeming to fail when it came to her. Hope was a cruel thing indeed.  
"N-No, Stoick, don't say that, that can't be right. She has to be mistaken."  
"I don't know. I honestly don't know," Stoick said with a grumble, his brow lowered and teeth clenched. As Valka tried to take in this suggestion, her mind glanced back to earlier upstairs. When something had touched her. Something very cold, almost unnaturally so. And then she made another guess when it came to Toothless. When he had lost control, he was scratching at the shields like he had seen something reflected back at him.  
Could it be...?  
Valka shook her head to rid herself of such stupid speculation when Stoick broke the silence.  
"What if... what if we did something wrong during the ceremony? What if what we did meant he never made it to Valhalla? What if he's still..."  
"Stoick, no, that's not it," Valka insisted, taking a hold of her husband's hands as much as they enveloped her own to try and be the voice of reason. For her own peace of mind as well as his. "When someone dies, they are either taken to Valhalla, Fólkvangr or go to meet Hel. There is no in between for a person to linger in. Only the draugr can return and they haunt the burial mounds, not villages. He _isn't_ here, she's _wrong_." Stoick nodded his head. His wife was probably right in what she was saying. Nothing about their legends and knowledge of the afterlife had mentioned anything about some sort of purgatory. The prospect of having condemned his son to something like that had just made him angry to think about, mostly at himself. He smiled, squeezing her hands back with as gentle a pressure as those rough palms could handle.  
"I know, I know, you're right. I just... I hoped that I hadn't..." Words failed him as he waved a palm to try and dismiss the thought. "I don't know what I'd do with you, Val."  
"I'm sure you'd manage. But luckily it won't come to that again," she replied with a soft smile, as quickly as it faltered now her imagination was running with the idea. Just like her husband, that seed of doubt had begun to sprout. And it had also managed to germinate inside the mind of an eavesdropping dragon who peering over the edge of the top floor down at the two Vikings.

 _"He was with me...? Is that why the old one was staring at me? Is my Hiccup in danger...?"_

Toothless knew that what he was beginning to think was wrong. After his proxy mother had helped him learn to let go of all of the feelings surrounding his rider's death, here was the opportunity to reverse it all if he tried. Did he dare to hope again? Was his Hiccup still out there, wandering the island? He could bring him back, he could finally allow Stoick and Valka to have their family complete, as they always should've done before Drago's attack. And he wouldn't have to spend a night alone again. The Night Fury retreated away from the floor's edge as he thought to himself. Should he try to find him? After all, he had only promised that he wouldn't be sad anymore. He'd let the grief go as best he could and he had vowed to live with it even if there were days it got difficult. He hadn't promised that he would give up on his fantasy of bringing his rider home. But at the same time, he had a job to do. He was the Alpha, he was the 'king' of the dragons on Berk. They needed him to keep the peace and protect them from whatever the world would throw at their tiny island next and he knew that the world would do just that. He couldn't just abandon them all. The Night Fury huffed as he sat down again to think. His head was a jumble of conflicting information as he looked over where Hiccup used to sit at his desk.

 _'Hiccup, what should I do?'_

He assumed Hiccup would probably disobey what was expected for the sake of something he cared about. But... the dragon didn't want to cause any more trouble.  
Tonight. Tonight he would decide.

* * *

The rest of the day followed without any further incident. Toothless had decided to brave the outside world again, resuming his part in his duties and reunions with those he had come to call friends. He aided in the repairs by using his flame, teeth and claws to weld and cut some of the tougher structures and cutting apart the ice shards still scattered around some of the higher areas had felt rather fun, or at least the closest to fun he could remember after all this time. He had caught up with Stormfly, Hookfang and the others, the rest of the dragons seeming to be rather pleased their Night Fury companion was mostly back to normal. The other riders seemed equally as happy to have him back, especially Astrid. Toothless had always liked to see her smile almost as much as Hiccup. In a way, the dragon even felt a slight hint of smugness with his new role as the Alpha. He may not have had all of his usually boundless energy back yet, but it was slowly starting to return thanks to Valka's help. Even Cloudjumper hadn't seemed to mind when the Night Fury had tried to nestle beneath his wings again as thanks for doing the same a few days ago. The Alpha had truly returned. However, what most of them didn't know was that Toothless was deliberately holding back. He would need to preserve his energy for whatever was going to come tonight. Tonight was the night he would set off to find Hiccup. He would have to be quick and he would have to be precise so that he would not be gone for too long. He didn't want to let anyone else down, but he couldn't resist the chance to do something, even if they would probably find it to be a fool's errand. Maybe some of Hiccup's rebellious nature had rubbed off on him. At the house, Toothless had heard mention of the burial mounds when Stoick and Valka were talking. They were apparently the places that those who hadn't truly left stayed near, 'draugr' they called them. He wondered if that was what Hiccup was now. Anyway, Hiccup had shown him such structures in the more mountainous regions of the island many years ago back in the early days of them getting to know each other, deep in the forest. Toothless guessed they may give him a way to reach him. If he could just remember where to go...

As the island was blanketed in the darkness of the night and the rest of the village slumbered deeply, Toothless waited for the opportune moment. He stared up through the gap in the house's roof, the stars shining brilliantly in his eyes. That was something he and Hiccup always loved to do on the clear evenings, the little pin pricks of light seeming close enough to touch. Toothless raised one of his legs up as if to do just that, his paw trying to bat at one particular constellation as if he could bring it close. When Hiccup was back, he'd fly them both up there. He'd take them up higher than they'd ever been before. Toothless lowered his leg back down and slowly crept over to the floor's edge. Both Stoick and Valka rested together, with Cloudjumper sat not a few feet away from them next to the crackling fire. This was the time to make his move.

 _'I won't be long, new father and mother. I'll be back with him too.'_

With that statement in his head as a silent promise, Toothless whirled around. He reached down to the ground where most of Hiccup's old saddle equipment had been laying, untouched since Astrid had taken it off during the Drago fight. Luckily for Toothless, it had been tidied away into a bag for convenience, one that he grabbed with his jaws. He crouched for a moment before his body leapt towards the roof opening. With a little scratching of his claws on the wood, the dragon soon found himself outside in the cool air, his ear plates perched high to check he hadn't woken anyone up. Convinced he had managed to get away with his 'escape', Toothless gracefully jumped down to the ground level and began to hurry to the back of the house, out to where the trees began to envelope the island. He grunted as his teeth kept a tight grip on the bag of heavy saddle parts, the Night Fury pushing past the slight discomfort to reach the burial mounds. Hiccup had said that other generations of his family rested there, so it made sense that this would be where he could probably find his rider. Minutes ticked on by as the dragon ran, darting between the trees and rocks like he had all those years ago to the arena. It seemed fitting to remember that. Toothless didn't know how long it would take him to reach it, but he could at least hope he was making good time. Hiccup would be impressed.

Toothless eventually found his goal, even though he had threatened to get himself a little lost earlier by taking the odd wrong turn. But he had made it. Not far from the cove where he had first met his other half, the burial mounds of Berk. For somewhere so far away, there must have been an organised cluster of about 20 different ones, their contents unknown. According to Hiccup, they used be used as places for ancestral worship before the Dragon Wars made it nearly impossible to reach the site. The dragon assumed that they never got around to coming back here after the Wars had ceased. He took some cautious steps forward, hoping that he wasn't breaking some Viking rule by setting foot near them, but quickly relaxed when the heavens didn't open and strike him down. The Night Fury set the bag in his mouth down, stretching his aching jaws out as he began to look around the site. Now what? He hadn't thought this next part through enough yet. If Hiccup was here, then maybe he could try calling out to him. The dragon vibrated his usual affectionate noises, the sounds seeming to rumble off the dense foliage that surrounded the mounds. There was no immediate response. Toothless frowned as he tried a more insistent tone, pressing into the ground with one of his claws. Still no response. He scowled, picking up the bag again and beginning to walk in between the lumps of raised ground. Maybe he just needed to do it near a specific one or something? It was worth a shot. For the next few minutes, Toothless did just that, trying out every mound in the hopes that maybe one of them would give him a connection to his Hiccup. Yet each attempt was fruitless, the forest only growing darker by the hour as the deep night startled to settle in. The Night Fury huffed. This would be much easier if he knew what exactly to look for. But he didn't have to wait much longer when a peculiar thing caught his eyes. Nestled in between some of the largest burial mounds, right near the back of all of them, was a hole. Not just a simple crack from where the ground surrounding it had been raised, but a full sized dug out hole. Toothless drew near it, his pupils widening in the dark to give him a better sense of vision. The hole itself looked only big enough to fit a person, the edges worn and splintered like something had forced its way out from the under the ground. The idea of that alone made the Night Fury shiver, drawing his nose close to the hole to inspect it more thoroughly. To his surprise, it didn't seem to have an end. There was no bottom to the excavated space that he could see and Toothless could make out nothing but the deepest black when he peered into the void. What could have caused it? Had someone just dug so far down that it was impossible to see in the dark? Or... had something tried to dig its way out? Toothless inhaled, trying to get some clues from the smells. He perked up when he recognized one almost immediately. It was him. He had been here. Curiously, it was not coming out of the hole like something had left the space before he got there. This was going inwards, like what he was sensing had ventured down into it.

 _'Hiccup... could you really be down there?'_

Toothless warbled into the hole, the sound echoing from the walls of soil that lined the slightly narrow passage. Once again, there was no answer, but his sense of smell never lied to him. Hiccup had been here. And if he was down in such a dark awful place, then his human must have been really scared. The fact that Hiccup was dead and burned didn't even occur to Toothless as his mind went wild with the thoughts of protecting his rider from whatever harms awaited down there, illogical as it was. Now he had a choice to make. He could try and get help, get some of the other villagers to see what this thing was. Or he could venture in alone to get Hiccup out of there as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, nature seemed to have made the choice for him.

As Toothless stood near the edge of this gaping maw in the ground, the ground near its edge suddenly crumbled under his feet, falling into the blackness. The Night Fury yelped in surprise as he lost his balance, trying to fight better footing as his eyes widened in panic. The hole was getting bigger, noticeable cracks in the ground staring to run under his body as he futilely tried to hang on. A horrendous grinding noise of rock and crumbling soil pierced his ears as he whined in pain, his wings flaring out to try and add to his ever failing sense of balance. He didn't have chance to see how effectual it was. In a matter of seconds, a large chunk of the ground gave way, Toothless' limbs sinking through the newly open space like it hadn't been there in the first place. With a panicked croon, the dragon clawed into the walls of the hole, desperately trying to hang on. The bag he was carrying whipped past his head as it fell, Hiccup's equipment disappearing from view as the Night Fury clung to the edges.

 _'H-Hiccup! Hiccup, help me!'_

Toothless' claws slipped, the ground simply not strong enough to support his weight. Leaving claw marks as he went, the dragon roared in alarm as he suddenly tumbled away from the surface and into the darkness. The hole entrance seemed to grow smaller in his vision as he fell, even as he writhed and struggled and scraped his wings against the rock. It became so small, it almost reminded him of those pin prick stars he had been looking at only moments ago today. As Toothless' roars became steadily quieter on the surface the further he fell, the hole entrance began to reform, soil and roots seeming to grow almost organically to leave behind no trace anyone was ever there.

The forest grew silent.


	5. A Void Beyond

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be**  
 **Chapter 5: A Void Beyond**

Toothless wasn't sure how long he was falling for, but there seemed to be no end to this cascading pit of rock. Down and down he tumbled, no end in sight to his plummet downward in this pitch darkness, even as he continued to spin in his freefall and claw uselessly at the tunnel's walls. His tail and wings occasionally hit the odd jutting piece, making him snarl in pain as it slashed against his scales. It felt like he was falling into the very depths of the earth itself, the hole he fell from having long disappeared from view. How much longer was he going to be stuck like this? Why had he been stupid enough to get too close? Maybe the Viking gods didn't like the idea of a dragon snooping around their sacred sites and deliberately laid a trap to get rid of him. Or something. It seemed pointless to guess since he didn't exactly have a way out until he hit the bottom. if there even was a bottom. That last thought sent a chill through his body. He hadn't thought about there being an eventual end to this fall. He subconsciously braced himself, squeezing his eyes shut and curling inwards so as not to hit anything else on the way down. At least if he was right, he would be with Hiccup sooner than he expected, just not in the way that he had wanted.

Suddenly, Toothless' eyes picked up on something, though it was strangely coming from beneath him. A tiny spot of white, seeming to grow brighter and larger the closer he got to it. He grimaced against the sudden light after spending so long in the dark, his eyes eventually beginning to adjust to it. Was that... where he just fell from? That couldn't be right. The Night Fury was pretty sure that holes only went in one direction, unless he'd somehow managed to break gravity falling down here. He might be able to do a lot as the Alpha, but doing that wasn't one of his capabilities. The dragon decided to angle his body towards the light by seeing it as a way out, keeping his wings tucked in tight against his body to streamline himself. If that was a way out as he hoped, he was going to take it. Closer still the light came, enough to nearly be dazzling. In a matter of seconds, he reached it.

The dragon flew out of the hole entrance and found himself shooting upwards into the sky. He tumbled over, his gaze turning back to where he had just come from. It was the exact same hole, nestled among the burial mounds he had just spent time near a few minutes ago. He didn't have time to question this oddity as gravity suddenly took a hold of him again. The Night Fury roared in alarm as he flailed his limbs, trying to spread his wings out to slow his descent. The air caught them, pushing them out wide like parachutes, though it probably wasn't going to stop this from being a rough landing. Toothless winced as the ground came up to meet him, his legs barely having enough time to cover his head as he landed. The dragon grunted as he hit and rolled over the ground, thankfully missing the hole. These were going to leave some nasty bruises, the Night Fury's tail whipping around as he tumbled over himself and hit against the sides of some trees. After a few painful moments, he came to rest. His entire being ached with the numerous impacts he'd taken, his wings in particular after that awful fall. He slowly came around, pushing himself up onto his limbs even as they swayed a little from his disorientation. His next question was an obvious one to make. Where was he now? As he shook his head to focus on answering it, the Night Fury once again saw the burial mounds. Indeed, they were the exact same ones he had come to before he fell inside that maw in the ground. Even his bag of saddle equipment had seemed to survive the journey, sat on one of the mounds. Had he actually gone anywhere or had he imagined it? Another oddity soon made itself apparent with the fact that the forest now appeared to be shrouded in early morning mist, the dulled light illuminating his surroundings through the trees practically blinding after all that time in the hole. The dragon huffed. He wasn't falling for that long, no longer than a few minutes. What was going on? Toothless took a few shaky steps forwards, trying to see if the hole would have any more clues. To his surprise, it was no longer there. His paws patted at the ground where it used to be, but it remained solid. No sign it was going to crumble either. Confusion dominated Toothless' brain as he clawed at the spot with an annoyed rumble. No, he had to focus, get back on track. He was here for Hiccup and staying here wondering about backwards disappearing holes wasn't going to change that. With a determined bob of his head, the Night Fury turned away from the burial mounds, grabbing the bag in his teeth. Once again, he set off deep into the forest, heading back to where he thought Berk was. If his Hiccup was going to be anywhere, it was there.

 _'I'm coming for you, Hiccup, I'll be there soon!'_

* * *

The waves lapped at the rocky shores gently, the occasional splash back from when they hit the cliff walls washing over Hiccup's prosthetic leg and staining the metal. This jagged coastline, only within walking distance of the main village, was just as empty as the village had been. Not that he was surprised. Everything about his new found existence seemed to be based around him being isolated from everything he used to know, a fitting end to someone who started life off that way. Hiccup ground his teeth behind clenched jaws. So Valhalla, this realm where those struck down in battle would join Odin's side until Ragnarok, was nothing but a fairy tale. An illusion or some sort of grand continuation from the life he used to know. What else could he think? He had seen no grand halls of feasting, no Valkyries clad in armor of silver to carry him there. Even after Toothless, the one thing he could think that would be keeping him in this world, had vowed to let him go... all he had found was this cold reflection of his home and world, a void beyond. And that infuriated him.  
"...why me?" Hiccup mumbled, pushing himself to his feet as he stared out across the seemingly endless expanse of ocean before him. "Huh? Why do this to me? Is this because of what I did with the dragons? Is ending a war not seen as a good thing in the eyes of you guys?" He kicked his foot into the grass, sending a loose pebble spinning off beneath the surface of the water as his voice only got louder and sarcastic. "Oh no, 'cause gods forbid that we have peace for a change! Gods forbid that we have a chance to make the world a better place after _years_ of pointless fighting! Gods forbid that I _find my place in it_!" The young Viking's anger couldn't be contained, rising to his feet as the continued isolation he felt he had been suffering for years in this realm boiled to the surface like a volcano. "Well, damn you all! I don't want to be a part of some stupid celebration of killing! I don't want to spend eternity being like I used to be, waiting for the world to end! I don't need _ANY_ of it!" Hiccup screamed to the heavens, brandishing Inferno from his belt and stabbing it into the loose rocks with a furious stab. He panted, his face feeling like it could probably be turning red from his anger if he had a pulse to make it happen. He stumbled backwards, once again sitting limply on the shoreline with his legs hunched up close to his head. He heaved, biting his lower lip harder than any time he had been before.  
 _'If they didn't hate me before, the gods certainly hate me now. Not that I care.'_  
The truth was, Hiccup did need something, but he couldn't say what it was. He just wanted a way out, out of this purgatory he had been stuck in for... he didn't know how long. That scared him. He was losing his sense on the passage of time because of how he had been trapped here without a soul around to even see unless he tried. He couldn't take much more of this.

And then, bizarrely, Hiccup felt a sudden breeze blow through his hair. He jerked his head up, rubbing at his eyes to focus. Wind? There had never been any wind here before, as odd as it was to say that given how the waves still occurred here. The entire place had been as dead as he was. Wind meant something had changed. And, as if to coincide with it, Hiccup's ears heard something far off in the distance. A muffled sound buried deep within the trees. He forced himself to stand again, reaching to his side and grabbing Inferno from the ground to arm himself. He didn't know anything else could be here, especially since no Viking had ever concluded that where he was now existed in the first place. He glanced down at the still bleeding wound in his stomach, the clothing around it long having been stained a deep red from how it continuously drooled blood to the ground. He shouldn't feel nervous about anything, right? The damage was done already, he couldn't die again. And yet, his gut had a bad feeling. Maybe he'd been here so long that any sign of change in a place where time didn't touch its shores was bad. He didn't know.  
"OK... you wanna try and scare me for calling you out?" Hiccup asked to the gods. "Then fine, bring it on. I'll show you how Viking I am..." He had to almost smirk to himself at saying it. With nothing to lose, there was a strange sense of bravado welling up inside him and it felt good. With Inferno clutched tightly in his hand, Hiccup began to run up the edge of the coastline towards the village.  
 _'Who knows? Maybe I'll have someone to talk to.'_

* * *

Toothless' pace had considerably slowed as he neared the edge of the forest. Turns out trying to sprint at the same speed he usually did whilst carrying a bunch of equipment between his jaws was more exhausting that he thought. Or had the forest just been bigger than he remembered? He shook his head, panting as he dropped the bag to the ground to catch his breath. His mind wandered back home. Would new father and mother be worried? What about the other dragons? No, he couldn't reconsider his choice. He was here to bring Hiccup home, for the benefit of everyone. They would be happy with his efforts, just as they should with an Alpha. Hiccup couldn't be far now. After all, the Night Fury knew every place on Berk thanks to his human. It would only be a matter of time, a sense of giddiness starting to rise up in his chest. However, the dragon found that soon fading when a noise behind him made him turn about. His ear plated shot upwards, a low growl reverberating into the ground. From behind some of the gaps in the trees, he began to see a soft blue glow, illuminating the spaces between the branches and casting tendril-like shadows over the forest floor. Toothless stood his ground, claws gripping into the grass as if he had to prepare himself to pounce at any moment. The source of the glowing made itself obvious after a second or two. Or, in this case, sources. Three separate figures, drenched in the palest blue, began to glide into Toothless' vision. They looked like human females, beautiful faces with flowing hair and dresses billowing about softly in a breeze that the Night Fury couldn't feel. They didn't seem to be touching the ground, giving them an almost ethereal quality. Toothless relaxed from his hunched position in puzzlement. What were these creatures? They didn't seem to be particularly dangerous, even as they appeared to be floating slowly towards him. A gentle humming, almost like a human's voice, provided a perfect background to their presence, like it just made sense for it to be there. The Night Fury relaxed. They surely weren't dangerous. Maybe they were just curious about what he was doing here. Maybe these were even the gods that the Vikings spoke about. Toothless braved a step forward towards the closest figure.

 _"Do you protect this place? Do you know where my Hiccup is?"_

As Toothless cooed out his wordless question, the three figures didn't seem to respond. Instead, the closest one just came closer, almost enough to touch the dragon's snout. The Night Fury's eyes crossed inwards towards one of her hands, sniffing at it to try and make sense of what she was. He didn't learn much, even as her fingers finally pressed onto his scale.

Instantly, Toothless felt the most horrifying sensation with a roar of pain. The moment the female being touched him, the dragon felt like his very heart was being wrenched from its resting place in his chest towards her hand. He gasped as he felt like his breath was being stolen in much the same way, leaving him suffocating the longer she held onto him. In the vague focus he had left on her eyes, he saw the figure begin to change. It was no longer a simple human face staring back at him, but a horrible disfigured monstrosity of a visage. Gaping holes for mouths and eyes, both widened as if she were silently screaming at him. The Night Fury struggled, even as his vision began to fail him, eventually managing to break free from her touch and stumble backwards into a tree. He winced as he broke contact with the creature, taking in deep breaths to try and recover from that horrible feeling. It was like it was literally sucking the life out of him, the Night Fury glad that his internal fire would help to warm him back up after losing all of his heat from that thing touching him. Why would they do that? The dragon looked back up, seeing that the three of them were still slowly floating towards him. All of them now bore the same face, the same screaming expression as if they were from a nightmare he couldn't remember. The dragon braved a sudden blast of fire, trying to keep them at bay. To his dismay, the plasma just sailed right through their bodies and scorched the foliage behind them in a neat spot. The creatures advanced. Toothless didn't feel bravado like he had done moments before. He felt déjà vu creep over him, a feeling like the one during Drago's attack. He couldn't deal with this on his own as much as he tried. If they could do that to him with just a single touch, then what else were they capable of...? Toothless grabbed the bag of equipment in his jaws and turned tail to run. He forced his legs to start sprinting quickly, hoping that he would reach Berk ahead of them. Given how slow they were moving, that wouldn't take long, right? He found out quickly how wrong he was. Even as he ran through the remaining trees blocking his path, Toothless was having to duck and weave out of the way of multiple blue arms suddenly trying to grab him. There wasn't just three of these things. There were _hundreds_ , all scattered about the trees like summoned protectors. He could only speculate that coming to the burial mounds in the first place may have done this. After all, the dragon remembered Valka saying that things called 'draugr' haunted them. Was this them? Did they not take kindly to dragons? He didn't care to find out. All Toothless could think to do was keep running.

 _"Hiccup... did these things get to you too? Please tell me you're still here..."_

* * *

As Hiccup continued to navigate the oddly shaped platforms of rock and foliage that made up the island's coast, he heard another sound to accompany the first he had heard in the depths of the forest beyond the cliffs. Almost immediately, it caused him to stop running, his grip on Inferno slightly loosening as a weird sense of familiarity crawled over his being. That sounded like... no, it couldn't be that. It would be just another layer of cruelty that the gods would be adding to his situation if they made him hear that. But even despite his logical side having to dismiss it, the young Viking's heart couldn't let go of the idea. He grunted, shaking off the feeling as best he could as he continued to make his way towards the village. He climbed over the boulders that littered his path, occasionally slipping on some of the moss thanks to his prosthetic lacking any sort of grip. One of the only attachments he hadn't managed to make was something that properly dealt with that stuff. Hiccup eventually found the wooden walkway that linked the coast and Berk together, hurrying along the narrow bridge in order to make it back to the village center. Maybe he wouldn't even need to get to the forest, it could be that the sound's origin had already reached Berk ahead of him. With that hope running in his head, Hiccup hurried his pace. He ran past the workshop, past the abandoned dragon eateries and washes. He was greeted with the sight of a still empty Berk when he ran into town, a Berk that should have been vibrant and bustling with activity. He sighed in disappointment. Maybe he'd just imagined the sound in the hopes that something else would be here.  
 _'Stupid Hiccup, there's_ never _anything here.'_ In fact, he was about to put Inferno away when another sound caught his attention. The sound of heavy footsteps running towards him. Actual footsteps! Hiccup's breathing quickened as he fumbled with Inferno's hilt. He brandished his weapon, activating the Monstrous Nightmare saliva clinging to the blade and setting it furiously aflame. Who would it be? Was it someone else who had been trapped here too? Was it someone he knew? Or was it the gods and their minions themselves, arriving down to challenge him for his blasphemy? Hiccup didn't care. Whoever it was wouldn't catch him off guard.  
 _'Alright, Odin, Thor, or whoever it is. Do your worst...'_ he thought to himself, raising his sword above his head in preparation. His heart wasn't prepared for what he saw when Toothless suddenly round the corner.

The Night Fury hurried around the edge of one of the buildings, having lost his pursuers in the depths of the forest just as he had left its borders. He hoped they wouldn't follow him down this far, assuming that the forest itself restricted where they could go. He hoped. He shook his head, catching his breath. He never wanted to go near those... things again. The dragon raised his head, beginning to peer around the town center for a sign of anyone nearby. Curious how it was so empty like this... was everyone just indoors? He didn't have time to ponder the answer. Because that was when they made eye contact. Toothless' brilliant green eyes staring right into Hiccup's own. For a while, it felt like time had stopped for both of them. The rest of the world melted away into the background as they gazed into each other. It felt unreal. Hiccup's hands trembled, the one clutching Inferno losing grip of the weapon and letting it clatter to the ground. His jaw parted in shock, a shaky exhale following it soon after as fresh tears spilled over his cheeks. It couldn't be. This was some sort of sick joke. It wasn't him. It wasn't. It _wasn't_. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to keep repeating that to himself, the young Viking found himself slowly stumbling forward, deliberately slow steps.  
"...T-T...Toothless...?"  
The dragon wasn't faring much better. He seemed to mirror the human's movements, pressing one leg forward cautiously, then another. He didn't make a sound, the bag of equipment falling to the ground from his open mouth. It was him. It was really his Hiccup. Though the Night Fury had promised he wouldn't cry anymore, he couldn't stop himself as the scales around his eyes became shiny. Though these weren't tears of sadness, not this time. The dragon felt nothing but pure joy course through his body.

 _"...H-Hiccup...! M-My Hiccup!"_

Instantly, the pair of them began to run towards each other, their beings yearning to reunite with their other half. They forgot about their defenses, their equipment, the impossibility of this reconciliation, everything else. All that mattered was the boy and his dragon. Hiccup ran harder forwards than any other time he could remember running, falling to his knees and sliding along the ground just as Toothless did the same. His arms opened to embrace his dragon, just as the Night Fury's head pushed into his stomach and nearly bowled him over from the force. Hiccup gasped at the contact. It was real. Toothless was real. He was really here, he could touch him, he was _real_. His arms clasped around the Night Fury's neck and squeezed him close, the Dragon Master weeping freely as he pressed his cheek into Toothless' forehead.  
"T-TOOTHLESS! Oh gods, Toothless, it's r-really you! It's really y-you, bud..!"  
Toothless warbled shakily, the tone of his noise threatening to break from how overwhelmed with emotion he was becoming. He nuzzled and pushed against his human with a vigor that he'd never shown before. His human still felt cold, colder than the dragon had ever felt Hiccup be before. But he was here. And that was all the warmth Toothless needed, running his tongue along the Viking's face.

 _"My H-Hiccup, I'm sorry, I'm_ s-so _sorry for what I did! I-I never meant to do this t-to you, I'm so_ so _sorry..."_

Hiccup sobbed in relief at having someone nearby, even more so with the fact it was his best friend. He didn't even care about the licks and slobber that would cling to him when it was done. He held on tightly to his dragon's scales, fearing that Toothless would disappear if he relaxed his grip for more than a second. As he struggled to keep himself composed, the Viking raised his head away from the Night Fury's own to stare him in the eyes. Toothless being here could only mean one of two things. Either his dragon had somehow broken the boundaries between worlds or... he was dead himself. Hiccup couldn't live with himself if that was the case, ironic as it was considering his position. He began to run his eyes over his dragon's body, looking for any signs of injury or blood. He saw the bruises and scrapes from Toothless' earlier fall, beginning to feel a trace of panic since he didn't know where they had come from that eventually formed into yelling.  
"W-Why did you come h-here for me?!" Hiccup cried, both in his voice and literally. "You stupid, u-useless, reptile! I told you t-to let me go! Y-You... you c-can't be here! Why did you do it?!"  
Toothless crooned, knowing that Hiccup had every right to ask that question. As he blinked once and more fresh tears rolled over his scales, the Night Fury leaned in to push against his beloved rider's jaw.

 _"...because I love you."_

Even though Hiccup couldn't have heard the words, he knew what Toothless had tried to say. His bravery broke down again as he rested his head down. The dragon felt so warm, so comforting to his aching soul. His cheek felt hotter than it had been for what felt like years. Hiccup shuffled himself into a better position, cuddling Toothless' large frame against him as the Night Fury sat down on the ground properly. The pair of them sat in each other's embrace for what could've been mere minutes, but felt like hours. Both he and Toothless would happily have done it for that long too.  
"I-I missed you _so_ much, b-bud..." Hiccup stammered, his voice almost a whisper as his fingertips brushed over the dragon's head spikes. Toothless crooned to him in response, seeming to agree. This was how it was always meant to be. Just him and Hiccup together until the end. In the back of his mind, the Night Fury knew they couldn't stay long. They had to find a way home before the others noticed he was gone. But for the moment, he just wanted to savor being close to Hiccup again.

 _"I... could never let you go, Hiccup. I promised I wouldn't be sad, but I never gave up hope..."_

Hiccup still wept, sniffing loudly and being a total mess. He knew the others would probably roll their eyes at him for being so wimpy. But he did so with the broadest smile on his face. The first smile he had felt in such a long time. He gazed into his best friend's eyes, his hand trailing around the outside of his jawline before they cemented their reunion with a final touch of their foreheads against each other.  
"You... will never stop being amazing, Toothless. Thank you, bud..."  
Toothless rumbled at the touches. Everything he had dreamed of culminated in this moment. He gave one last lick to Hiccup's face, making the young Viking mumble something about it not washing out under his breath. It was perfect. Or, at least it was until pale blue light began to illuminate the village.

Almost immediately, Toothless sensed the horrible aura of the creatures, just as they began to slowly float around the edges of the houses. The Night Fury arched to attention, his protective energy once again returning to his body as he curled his tail around his human. It seemed that the forest wasn't where they were restricted to like he hoped. But it was no matter, they wouldn't get to him. He would protect Hiccup as he was always meant to, menacingly growling to the advancing beings. Hiccup snapped out of his emotional daze at seeing Toothless react, pushing himself to his feet and grabbing Inferno in one of his free hands. He didn't know what these things were, but the fact that they had those horrible vacant faces and were slowly advancing on in them both meant it had to be trouble. This could've been what he heard earlier in the forest too.  
"It's OK, bud, we've got this," he assured his dragon, igniting his blade. "Just no sudden moves..." Feeling reinvigorated thanks to having his best friend back at his side, Hiccup stood his ground with his blade raised up. The creatures came closer, now over ten of them having manifested before their eyes. Toothless snarled and spat out another blast of flame, hoping this one would be better than his previous attempt. However, just like before, it passed through them like they weren't even there in the first place. And again, they began to reach out their hands towards him. Toothless' eyes rolled a little into the back of his head with a whine as the multitude of hands came close to his scales. The feeling of being drained came back, making his entire body shake in distress. Hiccup would have none of it.  
"No! Get away from him!" he yelled as he swung the lit Inferno downwards, cutting across the arms of the creatures in the hopes it would drive them away. To his surprise, his blade did the trick. The limbs were severed where where he cut, the hands previously reaching for his dragon disappearing into a light mist. The creatures screamed, turning their attention towards the human in rage. They stared him down, just as Hiccup swung Inferno in a circle around his head. The flame boiled the air around him, the monsters recoiling and backing down with another scream of anger. As much as the sound disrupted his thoughts, Hiccup was able to think on it for a moment. Why had he been able to attack the creatures when Toothless could not? He turned his attention back to his dragon, holding onto the Night Fury's head as he came around from that awful feeling.  
"It's alright bud, it's alright, I've got you... " he cooed, looking over his shoulder as the creatures began to rise up again. He noticed the bag of saddle equipment where Toothless had dropped it, grabbing it in his free hand as he whirled around to face their aggressors. "Don't worry, bud. For once, _I'm_ going to protect _you_. I promise." With that declaration ringing true in his ears, the Viking gestured with his hand for Toothless to get ready to run. They needed to get someplace away from the monsters, fasten up the saddle and get out of here. Hopefully, they'd find some answers too.  
"NOW!"

At that moment, the dragon turned to run towards the shoreline Hiccup had just come from. His Viking whirled Inferno towards the monsters, trying to give Toothless a little bit more space before he too decided the best option was to follow. Together, they darted over the rocks, relieved that their foes were slower to go after them than they were to get away. Hiccup almost slipped a few times over the boulders, but Toothless was quick to nudge him back to his feet when needed. In turn, whenever Toothless got too far ahead, Hiccup shouted forward a warning for any sharp drops that the Night Fury may not have noticed coming. Even when not in flight, they knew what each other needed almost instinctively. The pair eventually made it to a secluded part of the shore, the path back to village and therefore the creatures blocked by walls of rock. Hiccup dropped the bag and began to quickly assemble the tail and saddle back together. He'd done it so many times before, it would only take a minute as most. Toothless obediently slipped his legs into the holsters around the front. As the mechanism was attached to the other side of his tail, he felt some strange sense of being complete in his heart. Like the tail alone was enough to make him feel he'd gained back what he had lost. As much as he wanted to express his joy, the situation didn't call for it right now. He stood ready to take off, just as Hiccup saw the creatures surfacing from around the side of the cliff top. They were persistent, he'd give them that.  
"Moment of truth, Toothless, let's hope we can remember how to do this..." Hiccup stated dryly. He hoisted himself up onto the saddle and hooked his prosthetic into the mechanism. The sound and feel of it alone almost made him shiver, like it was nostalgic. He really had been trapped here too long. Hiccup gave one last look at the beings floating towards them. As before, they had their arms outstretched towards his dragon, not both of them. Why were they singling out Toothless? What had he done to draw them to him like that? He'd ask later. Right now, they needed to get somewhere quite a distance away from the village.  
"Think you can get us to the cove, bud?" Hiccup asked, that location being the only one that came to mind. Maybe it just seemed appropriate given the circumstances. Toothless nodded his head, leaning down to the ground before he suddenly leapt forward off the edge of the cliff top. He fanned his wings outwards as Hiccup adjusted the tail fin, sending them soaring upwards into the air after momentarily brushing the surface of the ocean. Toothless roared in delight at feeling the wind again, Hiccup letting out an equally pleased yell. This was more like it! As they both turned off to the right to head towards the cove, the young man could only see faint blips of blue where the creatures were. Lucky for them it seemed they couldn't fly after them.  
"Let's go, Toothless, give us some space from them!" Hiccup yelled over the roar of air. The Night Fury obliged with a rumble and leveled off their flight, gliding nearly effortlessly over the treetops of Berk. He couldn't get rid of the smile on his face even with the danger below them. He was finally back with his Hiccup, they were _flying_ together, they were truly back as one. He felt like nothing could stop them now, not even a boundary between this world and the next. Now they just had to find a way to break it down again and get home.

* * *

The flight was unfortunately brief, the Viking and his dragon setting down near the body of water that they had first met by all those years ago. Hiccup slipped off the saddle and inhaled the air in this little hideaway of theirs. Even in this alternate world, it still reminded him of all of those memories, like what he had experienced couldn't be tarnished even though he was dead. In fact, it was almost humorous to consider the fact he was essentially a talking corpse at this point when he could feel and touch an actual other being. Toothless didn't seem put off by it either. He sat himself down by the lake, stretching out his legs as the water barely touched his one good boot. Toothless decided to join in, flumping his body down by his human and resting his head in the Viking's lap. Hiccup chuckled, realizing that his dragon hadn't gotten sick of his touches yet. He ran his hands over the Night Fury's head spikes again, noting how Toothless rumbled in content.  
"Had a bit of a growth spurt, bud?" he queried, coming to the same conclusion as his mother had with the spikes' increase in size. "Well, to be expected from a big, mighty Alpha, huh? Even if he is a softie on the inside." Toothless huffed and weakly butted his snout into Hiccup's chest to shut him up, forcing a laugh from his rider. The area grew quiet again. One would have to admit there was an eeriness about it. No birds, no wind, no fish in the water, nothing. Sensing that made Hiccup's smile at being close to Toothless waver when his thoughts started to drift back to the important questions. Being with each other was all well and good, but he needed to be sure that Toothless hadn't done something stupid to get here. He shifted in position, holding his dragon's head to look him in the eye.  
"Toothless... how did you get here? Please tell me that you didn't... you're not... right?" Hiccup couldn't get the words out. The idea that his friend would've done something like that was too horrible a thought to bear. Thankfully, the dragon quickly shook his head with an insistent noise, not wanting to worry his human. Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief, nodding his head.  
"OK, that's good... but then, how _did_ you? You didn't, like, get cursed by Thor or break some weird magical thing, did you?"  
Again, Toothless shook his head, leaving Hiccup stumped. If his dragon hadn't done anything to anger the gods or break the rules of the world, then how on earth had he managed to do what no-one else could? He idly scratched behind Toothless' ear plates as he went waist deep into thought.  
 _'No, there has to be more to it than that. Toothless forced himself to come here. But what could've done it? Why were those things only after him and not me...? And... why am I still stuck here?'_  
"There's only one answer to that question, Hiccup."  
The voice made the Viking jerk upright, Toothless too. The pair of them scanned their eyes around the isolation of the cove. It wasn't one of those creatures, they had no voice. And there had been no else they could see in this world apart from each other. Hiccup rose to his feet.  
"Who said that? Who are you?"  
He received no answer to his question, his hand hovering near Inferno once again. He was having to use this thing a lot lately, he wondered how long it'd last before he'd run out of fuel for the fire. Toothless growled, once again wrapping his tail around around the base of Hiccup's legs to keep him safe. The Viking called out to the invisible stranger.  
"Show yourself! What did you mean by one answer?"  
The response came from behind them, the boy and his dragon spinning on the spot to confront it. They both gasped as what they saw.

"Because someone who was meant to survive never came home. You were never meant to die that day, Hiccup."


	6. A Choice To Condemn

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be**  
 **Chapter 6: A Choice To Condemn**

The figure that spoke to them stood mere meters away from Hiccup and Toothless, an aura of light shining around them as if they were some sort of deity. It was a woman, clad in the most glorious silver armor that any Viking would lay their eyes upon. Gobber would probably salivate at the craftsmanship. The way it shone even in this dead world, fastened together with belts and clips, made it seem nearly seamless as if was a part of her body. In fact, it almost resembled Hiccup's own complicated flight suit in a way when he looked at it. Boots of darker metal went up to her thighs, a skirt of leather straps on one side of her waist. A cape that appeared to be made of feathers hung from the pointed shoulders on her armor, gently billowing in the wind that Hiccup still couldn't feel. She carried no weapons except for the spikes on her metal gloves and didn't show any sign of threatening behavior. Her features were almost as light and airy as the aura that surrounded her, her lightly colored hair hung loosely over one of her shoulders. Her expression was stern, almost intimidating to stare at. It was her eyes that were the most striking thing however, a brilliant golden hue that almost seemed to glow the more Hiccup stared. The woman remained still, as if waiting for him to respond to her previous statement. Toothless was just as curious as to who this person was. She wasn't trying to threaten them like the other creatures from before, yet he had an almost automatic reaction to distrust anyone who could just appear out of thin air like that. It had happened too much today, causing the dragon to hunch down in case he needed to attack. Hiccup cleared his throat, gesturing one of his hands to his side as if to keep Toothless calm. He didn't want his friend to be too jumpy around the stranger yet. Silver armor, appearing before the dead. She couldn't be one of them, could she?  
"Who... are you?" Hiccup finally managed to ask once his thoughts came back to him.  
"We're known by many names among your kind," the woman said plainly, almost as if the answer were obvious. Her accent was unlike any Hiccup had heard before, neither the rough brogue of a Viking or one of Drago's men. It was like she was from a land they had never come across before. "I suppose to you, I am but one of many who decide which of the fallen will join my master in his domain until the End of Days and who does not."  
"You're a valkyrie?"  
The woman nodded her head. So the valkyries and their purpose were real after all. Hiccup should've felt relief, but inside he wasn't sure about the answer. If a valkyrie was finally here at last, then that meant there was a way out for him. He'd be in Valhalla where he was destined to be but... that meant leaving Toothless alone. Again. He couldn't just leave his dragon, not after he had come all this way to reunite. He decided to brave getting more answers, determined to resist whatever she would try to make him come with her. He assumed that was the reason she was here, after all. Valkyrie or not, he needed to know the truth behind her delay. The valkyrie seemed to sense it, speaking before he had a chance to.  
"I will answer anything you wish to know. You must have some questions."  
"Bit of an understatement if you ask me," Hiccup said. "I mean, it figures that I'd only manage to make some sense of all this right at the end."  
"There is a lot to explain," she said, waiting patiently for his questioning. Hiccup soon gave it to her.

"OK... if you're really one of the valkyries, then tell me. Why did it take so long for you to show up?" Hiccup asked, his tone bluntly showing his annoyance. "Valkyries are supposed to take those struck down to Valhalla, aren't they? Why just leave me trapped in this hellhole if you're supposed to take me there?"  
"It's as I said," the valkyrie replied. "You were not meant to die. And yet you still did."  
"What's that supposed to mean? I mean, I know it may not look it right now despite the whole bleeding stomach thing, but I am _totally_ dead. How am I not _meant_ to be dead?"  
The valkyrie glanced off to the side, her expression faltering for a moment. Toothless picked up on it immediately, his head tilting in curiosity. Was that... guilt she was showing?  
"We... did not know what to do."  
"That doesn't answer my question."  
"You have to understand, Hiccup. We needed time. We never anticipated that events could transpire as they did," she explained. Hiccup was having none of it, cutting her off before she could finish explaining what she meant.  
"Answer me!"  
The valkyrie seemed to scowl at his insistent questioning.  
"Everything has an ordained time when they must pass from your world into ours. Someone was supposed to die that day on the Sanctuary shores, but it wasn't supposed to be you. Your death changed events in ways we couldn't anticipate. Time was altered, _will_ be altered." Hiccup's inner anger started to boil over as his teeth clenched.  
"I've already seen what happened after I'm gone," he grunted. "I broke my family, I broke Astrid's heart, I let my best friend live thinking he'd never see me again..." Hiccup's harsh expression faltered as he exhaled. Toothless nuzzled into his palm with a soft croon, trying to be as supportive as he could manage.

 _"It wasn't your fault, Hiccup."_

The valkyrie looked to her opposite side now as she appeared to admit her failing.  
"I'm sorry."  
"So I simply wasn't a part of your plan, huh? Is that it?" Hiccup continued to fume, his emotions breaking down any kind of restraint he had left. Otherworldy guardian or not, this valkyrie wasn't going to be spared his words.  
"It is a difficult situati-" she started.  
"So you just _left_ me here?!"  
"It was the safest choice we had!" the valkyrie snapped back with a fierce yell, trying to retain her own composure. The cove almost seemed to darken in tandem with the volume of her voice as she cried out, forcing Hiccup to fall silent. Maybe getting on the bad side of a creature such as her wasn't the smartest idea. The valkyrie took in a deep breath as the light returned, just before she spoke again. She shouldn't get angry. The Viking had every right to be, she didn't.  
"You are an anomaly, Hiccup. You are not supposed to be here and yet somehow you are. Because of that, my master cannot take you. Only those who fall at their destined time have the chance enter his domain. But neither can you be simply sent back to the human world, knowing what you do about what lies beyond the mortal realm. We are in a difficult position and only now have we found but one solution."  
"Is that why you made those things come after us?" Hiccup queried. "Those monsters that kept trying to kill my dragon?"  
"They are not part of our design," the valkyrie replied. "The dísir are simply the protectors of the realm of the dead. We do not control them." Hiccup had heard that name before. According to legend, the dísir were spirits that protected those of fallen Vikings and their clans. They were terribly hostile to any living man who came across them and were sometimes associated with the appearance of the valkyries.  
 _'That explains why they went after Toothless...'_ Hiccup thought to himself _. 'They saw him as something that didn't belong in this world... which means that he has to be alive!'_ Breathing a metal sigh of relief at confirmation his dragon hadn't followed him to the afterlife in that way, Hiccup reached toward Toothless' head and gave it a gentle stroke in thanks for his friend trying to help. The Night Fury responded with a gentle vibration, moving closer to his human's side as they continued to stare at the valkyrie. She didn't seem puzzled or offended by their relationship, so that at least confirmed Hiccup wasn't trapped here because of what he had done with the dragons. The thought of his dragon brought another question to the Viking's mind.  
"How did Toothless manage to get here...?" Hiccup asked.  
"He broke the boundaries," the valkyrie said, staring Toothless in the eye. "After you were gone, your dragon remained connected with you. Even in death, he refused to believe that you would not meet again. That belief was so strong, it created a gate from your world to this one because you weren't in where you call Valhalla. That is how he saw you. And that is how he is here with you now."  
Hiccup was stunned. Toothless had let go of his sadness, but he never let go of the idea of meeting again. He knelt down to look at his dragon.  
"Is that right, bud...? You still wanted to find me?" Toothless nodded with a gentle whine, nudging his head towards Hiccup's chest as if it were a silly question to ask. The Night Fury seemed satisfied that he finally had an answer to that strange hole. His will, coupled with being close to an area associated with death like the burial mounds, was enough to create a path here. That almost made him feel a little proud at having done that by himself, all to rescue his Hiccup. Hiccup himself felt a similar sense of satisfaction that his friend had never stopped hoping and smiled with a rub around Toothless' ear plates. However, that still didn't answer the biggest question he had regarding all this.

"OK... so you say I'm not supposed to be dead. I guess that's a relief. Kind of," Hiccup mumbled aloud. "But...you said that someone _was_ supposed to die at that battle. If not me, then who? Was it... Drago Bludvist?" His voice almost sounded hopeful that maybe justice would've been served and Drago would have gotten what was coming to him if this hadn't have happened. Toothless nodded his head in agreement with his rider, a low growl shaking in his chest as the thought of that maniac crossed his thoughts.

 _"He did all this... he's supposed to be here, not my Hiccup."_

The valkyrie shook her head, her eyes shimmering as she stared at the young Viking. Hiccup rolled his shoulders with a huff.  
"I knew I wouldn't be that lucky..."  
"It is not a pleasant answer," the valkyrie said, catching Hiccup's attention again. "As I said, only now do we have a solution to fix everything. My master wills it be done, hence why I have appeared to you now. But it is something that we can only do with your help."  
"Help you?" Hiccup pondered with a raised brow. "With what?"  
"We can send you home, Hiccup. You can be with your people again and fulfill the role you were supposed to as the leader of your island. Your father would be proud of you for doing that, wouldn't he?" Toothless instantly crooned, almost getting giddy as he nudged into Hiccup's side with an energetic jump.

 _"See? You can come home! You can be with me again, Hiccup, everyone will be so happy to see you!"_

Hiccup didn't seem to share his dragon's enthusiasm. The valkyrie's answer had seemed evasive, just as like before. Why mention Stoick? There was a catch. There was always a catch. She had said they couldn't just send him home as simple as that, she was trying to make the deal sound sweeter than it was. Toothless's smile faded when Hiccup didn't return it to him, whining softly as he flicked his vision between his rider and the mysterious woman. Why was his human not happy? Did he not want to come home...?  
"It's not that simple, is it?" Hiccup said after some moments of silence. The valkyrie shook her head.  
"Even if you're not supposed to be dead, someone else needs to be in your place."  
"So... what? You'll have me change what happened?"  
"It is the only way to make it right again. We would take you back to the moment of your death..."  
"...and change it so that they die instead of me. Right." Hiccup chewed the scenario over in his mind. Was he really capable of doing that? Sacrificing someone for the sake of himself? It seemed absurdly selfish to even consider the possibility. He couldn't doom someone to this fate just because some supernatural creature said so. He couldn't live with himself if he knew he was responsible for their demise. And if someone else died instead of him at that moment, that meant that Toothless would also still be responsible for the death of whoever would replace him. He would not put his Night Fury through that heartbreak and regret again, he would _never_. And yet... the valkyrie had said it's what should have happened in the first place. Hiccup had always been one to go against the rules at times, but how could he go against the will of the universe? If his presence here caused enough problems for the gods' servants to intervene personally, then maybe it really was the only choice they had.  
"...who is it? Who's supposed to be dead instead of me?" The fact he didn't get anything but silence as an answer straight away only made the real answer worse.  
"Your father."

Hiccup turned away immediately with a furious grimace. Toothless watched in alarm as the Viking tried to pack up their things, double checking the prosthetic tail fin as if to distance himself from what he was hearing.  
"Come on, bud, we need to go." His answer to the valkyrie's request was simple and to the point. She did not take kindly to this, finally taking a few steps forward from where stood.  
"Hiccup, there is no other way. If you don't do this, then you risk upsetting the entire course of the future."  
"I don't care," he fired back, kneeling down to check the tail's controlling rods. "You think I'm gonna help you off my dad after what you've put me through? You're a funny one, lady."  
"This isn't a joke!" the valkyrie insisted, her presence making Toothless flinch as she stamped into the ground with one foot. "You'll doom your home and everyone you know if you don't help us set things right."  
"And why should I trust you, huh?" Hiccup exclaimed, rising to his feet again. "How do I know you're not just saying all this to make me do what you want? Berk is surviving without me just fine. If Dad wasn't there to be the chief, then..."  
Hiccup's sentence trailed off as he suddenly saw something flash across his eyes. Like a vision or a memory, but near instantaneous. He didn't know where it came from and he didn't recognize anything that he saw in it.

* * *

 _"NO! Get away from him!"_  
 _Toothless flinched like he has just been punched, his entire body hunching down to the ground like a scared forest animal. He tried to say he was sorry, pushing his snout slightly forward with a desperate whine for forgiveness. Even if he didn't know what he was being sorry for. Hiccup refused to listen._  
 _"Go on, get out of here!" he screamed, his voice cracking as tears welled in his eyes. Toothless' chest ached at his human yelled at him to leave. Hiccup would never truly want him gone... would he? He took a shaky step forward, his own sounds inconsistent from the lump in his throat. Hiccup thrust his hands forward, threatening to push at Toothless' head enough to inflict bruises._  
 _"GET AWAY!"_

* * *

The valkyrie sighed as Hiccup shook his head back to reality. He was beginning to see the overlap of possibility. The future that should have happened instead of this. She had anticipated it wouldn't take long. Being in the presence of a being like herself who's entire existence was based around choice and possibility made it inevitable he would see the true passage of time.  
"You need to trust your own abilities more, Hiccup," the valkyrie continued. "You are destined to be the leader of that island, no matter what comes your way." Hiccup ignored what he had just seen. No, it was some sort of trick, he would never _ever_ say anything like that to Toothless. She was trying to trick him... somehow. He huffed with a dismissive gesture of both his hands, turning away from her.  
"Yeah, well, a little thing called _dying_ seemed to get in the way of that, so..." Toothless whined in frustration at his human's behavior. Hiccup always had moments of trying to use humor to deflect conversations and situations he didn't want to hear, but this was ridiculous. The dragon growled and pushed into his human's side, almost knocking him off balance.  
"H-Hey, Toothless! Be careful, bud..." Hiccup mumbled, once again checking the prosthetic as if the dragon hadn't meant anything by it. Toothless growled again, shoving his snout forward. Hiccup got the message quickly and frowned at his Night Fury.  
"I'm sorry, Toothless, but I can't do it," he said firmly, seeming to have made up his mind. "Now, come on. We need to find a way to get you home." The dragon's eyes went wide with shock at how Hiccup casually disregarded his insistence to follow the valkyrie's words. No, he couldn't go home, not without his Hiccup!

 _"...n-no! You can't! We came all this way, I-I need you to come home_ with _me! Please!"_

Hiccup's nose scrunched up as he tried to focus on his dragon's tail even as the creature it was attached to make noises of distress.  
"I'm sorry, bud... but you can't stay here. There's no food for you to eat and nowhere for us to go to find any. You'll starve if we don't get you back, I'm not going to let you..."  
Once again, the young man was seized by another vision, holding onto his head with one of his palms as it almost hurt. Like some sort of repressed experience was forcing its way out of the depths of his brain.

* * *

 _"I'm... sorry, Dad."_  
 _The horizon glowed a faint orange as the ocean mist began to obscure the burning ship drifting off into the distance. Hiccup had been on the verge of tears constantly ever since he had managed to stop the first time. Speaking like this again, as a formal act of saying goodbye to his father, almost broke his resolve._  
 _"I'm not the chief that you... wanted me to be. And I'm not the peacekeeper I thought I was. I... don't know..."_

* * *

Toothless' whimpering stabbed at Hiccup's heart almost as harshly as the vision he was forced to endure. No, it was just another trick! And his dragon wasn't making it easy to deal with. It wasn't like he didn't want to go home with Toothless. He wanted nothing more than to be home with everyone he loved, to feel his mother's embrace and his father's protective strength. He knew he was being blunt about the nature of the situation and he hated himself for upsetting the Night Fury. But he had to for Toothless' own good. Hiccup was not doing to doom anyone to this world in his place, he just couldn't. The valkyrie spoke again, uttering Hiccup's name once aloud before he whirled around to shut her up.  
"I said, no! I don't care about your little tricks or your weird vision powers, I'm not going to kill my dad to save my own skin! It's not right!" he cried.  
"You have no idea what your actions will cause if you don't," the valkyrie said simply. Her tone almost seemed sad that the young man couldn't see the damage he would bring. And not even for her own reasons of trying to obey her master's orders, but the damage he would bring to his own home and people.  
"Then why don't you tell me?!" Hiccup shouted. "Just tell me why it's so bad that I'm not going to be a monster 'cause you tell me to!"

The valkyrie simply nodded her head to grant his request. She stretched out one of her arms, fingers spread apart to thrust her palm towards him just as her eyes seemed to glow even more brilliantly that they had done before. In a matter of moments, Hiccup felt like his senses were being hijacked. He stumbled to the ground, clutching at his head with a grunt. Toothless yelped in a panic, unsure of what to do as his rider was overcome with a weird seizure of sensation as if the feeling of his visions before had been amplified a thousand times over.  
"W-What...are you doing...?" he managed to blurt out.  
"We are creatures of choice. We decide who enters my master's domain and who doesn't. Therefore, we are able to see the possibilities of a soul. You've already seen parts of what should've happened that day. But now you leave me no choice but to show you what will happen if you do not allow the true events to come to pass. It is more dire than you can imagine."  
Hiccup was barely able to make sense of the images flashing across his vision. Unlike before, they were like single frames of information rapidly scrolling over his eyes. He saw fires burning hot enough to make it feel like they were in front of his face, he saw great ships raging across the sea towards him, he heard the painful roars of dragons overhead, he heard cries of people in terror whose voices he recognized. And he saw an all too familiar black shape plummeting from the sky into the ocean. He gasped when he was suddenly set free and the valkyrie lowered her hand, the Viking panting for breath as he glared at her in shock at what he'd seen.  
"Without you as the leader of your people, that man will come back to finish what he started. Berk will be caught unaware, unprepared without your guidance. The Alpha will fall, your people will die and the dragons will face an extinction unlike the world has ever seen. If you are not there to protect them, it is inevitable."  
"N-No!" Hiccup stammered. "I don't believe you!"  
"You saw so yourself," the valkyrie answered. "Your father may be many things, but he is not the connection between human and dragon like you are. Your past experiences should say that more than enough times to prove it."  
"So he has to die instead?!"  
"It's not a matter of him dying instead. It's a matter of him dying as he should have done. Everything has their time, Hiccup. It is his, not yours."  
Hiccup clenched his fists, smacking them into the ground. With those visions acting as pretty damning evidence, he couldn't be... actually considering this madness, right? He felt sick with himself. His old habit of self-deprecation from over five years ago began to return at the idea he would willingly send his father to his death. It wasn't a nice feeling. It wasn't fair.  
 _'Oh gods, what would I be if I did that...? Making someone else take the fall for my mistakes? I'd be just the same talking fish bone all over again, forcing everyone else to clean up the mess I make and... '_  
Hiccup's thought was broken when he felt something brush his cheek. Toothless had leaned in, the dragon's warmth against his still freezing skin comforting. A wave of regret coursed through the Viking's chest as he wrapped his arms around the Night Fury's neck in another tight hug. He was stupid. Toothless would never stop being loyal to him no matter what happened, realizing he shouldn't have tried to be so dismissive of his friend's attempts to help. His voice remained low, almost a whisper.  
"... is there really no other way?"  
"No."  
"Would I remember any of it? Any of this...?"  
"No."

Hiccup needed space. He stumbled to his feet, Toothless' head supporting his hands as he sniffed and tried to focus on the situation. He couldn't manage it.  
"I... I don't know what to... what to do... " he mumbled, running his fingers through his hair as he started to wander away from the valkyrie. Toothless cooed to him to try and get his attention, to which Hiccup didn't respond. The dragon turned to go after him, briefly looking over his shoulder back at the strange woman. She simply bowed her head, appearing to understand this was not an easy thing to digest. Toothless immediately disregarded her and jumped in front of Hiccup, stopping him in his tracks. His human looked like he was in a daze, stumbling over himself and onto his friend's forehead. He slumped down to his knees and simply hugged the dragon's head against his body, his hands like vices.  
"I'm sorry, bud, I just... wasn't expecting to be told to take out Stoick the Vast today..." The Night Fury hummed sadly. It was so like Hiccup to still try and make a joke out of the worst. He gently licked against his other half's face. Still cold.

 _"I'm here for you, no matter what you have to do. You know that, don't you?"_

As if he read the dragon's mind, Hiccup nodded his head and closed his eyes with a gentle stroke around the Night Fury's plates.  
"Then again... I wasn't expecting to see you again today either." By the gods, if he didn't have Toothless right now, he may have caved. "I don't have a choice, do I?" The Night Fury couldn't give him an answer even if he could speak. What sort of thing could you even say to something like this? He could only keep himself pressed against the human's body as literal support. Hiccup's eyes opened when he felt the presence of something stood behind him. He saw a white feather drift over his shoulder, fluttering over the nonexistent air currents of this world when a voice sounded out.  
"We will make sure he reaches Valhalla," the valkyrie assured him, using the Viking's own terms for her master's realm to try and ease the young man's burden. "He will be honored properly and you can lead your people safe in that knowledge. He will watch over you." Hiccup didn't turn to look at her, his gaze lost in his daydreaming. Maybe it would be a case of ignorance is bliss. Maybe the fact he wouldn't remember his choice meant he'd never know it would be his fault. But at the same time, what Stoick had said to him before any of this had happened came flooding back to him. If Stoick were in his shoes, Hiccup knew his father would do what was right for everyone. Regardless of what hardships he would have to overcome, he would do anything to keep his home safe.  
 _'Dad... you told me that a chief always protects his own. That sometimes it's not about making the choice that makes you or anyone else happy. It's about choosing what is best for the whole village. Would I be doing the right thing to come home? Would I be the chief you want me to be? Even if it means you...wouldn't be here to see me?"_  
He didn't finish the thought because he knew what the answer would be. In that loud, obnoxious and booming voice, Stoick would declare he would do anything to protect Berk and his loved ones from danger, even if it meant losing his own life. In fact, he had been in danger of being struck down if he had reached his son a few mere seconds before the fire did. It almost made Hiccup smile at how headstrong his dad would be. He slowly rose to his feet, keeping his back turned to the valkyrie. He would have to persevere. No task was ever too big when it came to serving your people. He knew his dad would say just that if he were here.  
"...what do I have to do?"

* * *

Before he even got an answer, Hiccup and Toothless found their world starting to spin around them, the details of the cove and the mist blurring into nothingness. The colors of their surroundings seemed to stretch and distort into a sickening shade of grey as the very ground beneath them seemed to lose its physical presence. The pair felt like they were floating, being spirited away to another realm entirely. Toothless roared as dizziness sent his eyes rolling into the back of his head, his wings and tail flailing about in a useless attempt to remain steady. Hiccup wasn't faring much better, losing his balance and suddenly floating off his feet. At the same time, he felt an intense searing pain in stomach, crying out in agony as he felt like the scorched tissue was being burned all over again. His body curled in on itself as he managed to look down to where his permanent wound was. Or, now, had been. Despite the deep pool of red still stained into his clothing, the singed and branded flesh that used to show mangled bone and organ protruding into the open was slowly becoming as good as new, as though nothing had ever touched it in the first place. Disgusting noises of skin sewing itself back together only added to his nausea as he even noticed the blood stains starting to fade with time. The young Viking suddenly felt extremely hot. He felt like his blood had been set on fire as sensations of heat flooded his extremities and his insides all at once. He couldn't make sense of what was going on, even as he saw his dragon trying to reach him with stretched out claws. He pushed out one of his arms as well, calling out Toothless' name to keep them together. From all the activity, it was like they were in a storm, threatened with separation if they didn't stay close.

And then, as quickly as it began, it all stopped. Hiccup fell and landed harshly on the ground face first, rolling onto his back as both of his hands clasped themselves around his stomach. The pain was starting to fade, his palms raising up away from it as the last bit of blackened skin faded away from view. He gently brushed his fingers over the spot. Not even tender to touch. This wasn't a simply quick healing, this was like it had been completely reversed. In his haze staring up at the sky, Hiccup heard footsteps hurry towards him, just as Toothless' face filled his vision. The dragon hummed in worry, sniffing over his human and gentle nuzzling his face. The Night Fury suddenly recoiled as he did that. Hiccup... didn't feel cold anymore. He felt warm, warm and comforting and lovely yo be near just as he always used to do. Toothless couldn't hide his ecstasy as he jumped around on the spot, grabbing Hiccup's arm with a gummy mouth and hoisting his rider upright with a tug.  
"I-I...wha-?" Hiccup stammered, trying to make sense of what had happened. The way his dragon was bouncing around giddily and trying to nuzzle his hands showed what Toothless thought at least.

 _"You're OK! You're all warm again, you're alive! Hiccup, you're_ alive _!"_

Hiccup himself could scarcely believe his luck, pushing himself onto shaky feet as he looked himself over. Was he really alive again? Had the valkyrie honored her deal? It wasn't until he finally noticed his surroundings that it became clear he wasn't out of the woods yet.  
"This is..."

Icy ground lay beneath his and Toothless' feet, shards of ice littering themselves everywhere. Ruins of boats and artillery stood smoldering, the plumes of smoke rising into the air un-moving as if someone had simply paused the flow of time. The Bewilderbeast, the former Alpha, stood towering over them all with a swarm of frozen dragons circling over its head. Drago Bludvist wasn't too far away, his expression grim and maniacal as ever with his bullhook pointing towards an empty spot in front of him. Just like everything else, he remained completely still. Hiccup darted his eyes around and eventually rested them on Stoick, his father seeming to have been stopped in the middle of running as he desperately rushed to reach a small alcove of ice. An alcove that Hiccup remembered he had been cornered in before.  
"It's the Sanctuary... right at the moment I died, just like she said..." Hiccup concluded. The valkyrie had done what she had said she would. They had been returned to the moment where everything went wrong with a chance to make it right again. But it would come with a terrible price. Toothless picked up on his rider's worry as they took cautious steps through this frozen wasteland. The entire thing seemed surreal, like they were walking through some sort of living portrait of a moment in time. Hiccup stopped just as another flurry of feathers slowly drifted over his shoulder to the ground from behind him. He spun around and was faced with the same valkyrie from before. She stood staring up at the Bewilderbeast as she spoke.  
"This is where time was twisted and the possibility of the destined future was broken. In this very moment, someone who was meant to come home did not survive. The only thing left is to ask whether you're prepared to make it right."  
The valkyrie turned her gaze towards Hiccup at those last few words, her golden eyes seeming to stare right through him. The young Viking winced at their power before turning to Toothless. His dragon seemed concerned, his giant emerald orbs showing all the love and support they could muster in what could very well be one of the most difficult moments of his human's life. Hiccup adored him for that, kneeling down to hold onto the dragon's lower jaw. Those eyes were a welcome distraction from what he was going to have to do. His father, mere feet away from him, was frozen in time. If they changed the events of this day, Stoick would end up running straight to his death. Hiccup could convince himself of logical reasoning and planning all day long if he wanted to. He knew this was the right thing to do for the sake of everyone and he knew that Stoick would tell him he'd be glad to lay down his life for Berk.

But even despite everything he had been shown, everything he had seen and felt thanks to the valkyrie's powers, Hiccup couldn't shake the feeling he was about to make a terrible mistake.

Did he really have the strength to kill his own father?


	7. A Mistake Undone

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be**  
 **Chapter 7: A Mistake Undone**

Hiccup stared at the frozen chief of Berk. Even though Stoick was running straight towards what could be his end, his son couldn't see a trace of fear for his well being in that expression. He couldn't see anything but a drive, an urge to save his family from what would be a gruesome fate. One that Hiccup had already experienced for himself to the shock and sorrow of everyone around him. It was that fact which tore him up inside. If he did this, he wouldn't be changing the future, not really. He would end up causing the same thing to happen again, only he would be stood where his father had been during the funeral.  
"Dad..." Hiccup whispered, his good foot sliding forward across the ice to approach Stoick's still form. Toothless watched from a distance behind him. The dragon's body was wracked with concern for his rider. He should've been ecstatic that he was living and breathing again, but seeing Hiccup like this deflated that feeling to the background. It reminded him of long ago. The days where Hiccup was just a young boy, unsure of what course of action to take. Toothless' ear plates drooped. He wished he could say something to make it easier besides the usual dragon language. But right now, the Night Fury could only watch when Hiccup paused in his walking, keeping his eyes fixed on Stoick as he came to a stop. He would stay back for now. Hiccup needed space.  
"Could I... talk to him?" the young Viking asked, hoping the valkyrie was still here to answer his request. Her voice floated through the air to his ears.  
"Hiccup," she answered. "We can't change what needs to happen."  
"I know that," Hiccup replied sternly, briefly looking over his shoulder back at her before his head fell forward to look at the ground. "I just... need to say something. I can't just do this without a word."  
"He wouldn't remember what you'd say. You won't remember that conversation. You won't even remember having to make this choice."  
" _Please_..." he insisted, his hands curling into fists against his sides. The valkyrie frowned. She supposed it would only be fitting given what she and her sisters had put the young man through all this time. A last request of sorts. She bowed her head. With her powers of possibility, she could at least allow the father and son to speak for a brief period. Before the passage of time would wrench them apart and back into the parts they would play in the next few critical seconds.

A brief flash of gold traversed over Stoick's form like the natural gleam of light in a sword, freeing him from this temporal stasis. In a matter of seconds, the chief stumbled forward as if he had never stopped running, almost tripping over himself when he was shocked to see Hiccup stood only feet away rather than the meters he had previously been. Had he really run that fast? Stoick gasped as he slid to a halt, grabbing Hiccup by the shoulders with an almighty sigh. The smaller of the two flinched as he was touched. He should've felt something, a surge of joy or warmth at the fact he could be in his father's embrace again, as rough as it was. Instead, he felt nothing but regret.  
"Hiccup! Oh, Thor almighty, thank the gods you're alright..." the chief breathed out, grabbing his son and quickly shoving him to the side to move out of the way of what he assumed was a possessed Night Fury bearing down on them. His eyes automatically darted around the battlefield in case Drago made Toothless or any of the other dragons attack again. Except... that's not what was happening. Stoick's brow suddenly lowered in confusion at what he saw. Toothless wasn't attacking. He was merely sat still, not that far away from them and as docile as he ever was. The dragon seemed almost sad, his head low and his eyes pitiful. Drago himself was completely still, as if a Flightmare had managed to swoop in and incapacitate him when no one was paying attention. Even the multitude of dragons the Bewilderbeast had hypnotized to swarm above its head were paralyzed in the air, hung in the clouds like they were stringed puppets of the gods.  
"What the...?" Stoick eventually mumbled, spinning around on the spot. He saw both Valka and Gobber running towards him from where they had stood on the icy crag to help. Except they weren't running either. Just like Drago, the pair of them were frozen mid-step. No, not just them. The smoke, the soldiers, the falling debris of the Sanctuary's walls. _Everything_ was frozen.  
"Hiccup, what's going on?" Hiccup didn't give him an answer. The young Viking had clenched his jaws shut as he heard his father speak. He thought that maybe trying to talk this over would make it easier to deal with. Maybe hatch a plan and give him the courage to work through this until the valkyrie made him forget. Bad move.  
"Dad..."  
"Hiccup...?" Stoick asked with concern, kneeling down and holding onto Hiccup's arms with hands that could easy crush them if he tried. Hiccup felt like the chief had every reason to probably do that if he heard what they were trying to accomplish. He eventually let out a small sob, feeling pathetic as his emotions got the better of him for that moment. Stoick, surprised at his son's outburst, tried to disregard it and get Hiccup's attention with a light shake.  
"Hey... it's alright. What's wrong? Did you do this?"  
"I... I don't even know where to start..." the young man eventually admitted, rolling his shoulders. "It's gonna sound crazy. It still kinda does to me."  
"It's OK, Hiccup, just tell me what's going on. Why's everything stopped?"  
"...yeah, I did this. Because I'm trying to make things right," the chieftain-to-be answered. "Today didn't happen the way it was supposed to. So I have to change things. I just couldn't do it without seeing you again."  
"What do you mean 'not the way it was supposed to'? I don't understand."  
"Look, it doesn't matter. Something happened that shouldn't and now I have to do something about it."  
"Son, you're not making sense," Stoick frowned.  
"I _am_ ," Hiccup suddenly blurted out, finally looking his father in the eye as the tears he'd been holding back spilled to the ground. "What happened today, what _is_ going to happen, it wasn't what should've been. And now I'm in this stupid position of trying to fix it because I was dumb enough to..." He couldn't finish what he wanted to say. Stoick was still bewildered as to the situation the pair found themselves in. Hiccup had somehow managed to stop time itself to say this. That thought alone sounded crazier than any other inventive theories or contraptions his son's mind had produced over the years. Yet here they were. Speaking in a void where time could not touch them. Putting aside the implausibility of it all, Stoick had to wonder. What would drive the boy to even attempt something this drastic? He soon had an idea about what was making Hiccup so upset. He tried to be supportive with an encouraging smile, almost like he'd forgotten Bludvist and his armies were even there. They didn't matter right now.  
"Hiccup, you don't need to worry about that," Stoick assured him. "I don't know how you managed to do any of this, but... I know you were looking forward to us coming home together. What Drago did, all this fighting, it isn't what you wanted for our reunion with your mother. But once we're done here and save the dragons, we'll all go home to Berk. As a proper family. You'll see." Hiccup shook his head, sadly realizing his father has misunderstood.  
"No... it's not to do with Mom or you or any of that. It's... I have no choice but to do this. It's my fault."  
"What's your fault?" Stoick asked, clearly worried. If it wasn't Valka's reunion, then what was it? "Hiccup, be straight with me. Why do you think you have to change things?"  
"...because I died."

Stoick's eyes widened as the fear of that very thing happening flooded his body. He had to take a moment to digest it. He seemed almost panicked, or at least as close to panic as Hiccup had ever seen him. The chief started looking over his son's head, running his hands through that messy hair to make sure he hadn't been injured to just imagine all this. He was speaking crazy talk.  
"What? _Died..._? Hiccup, what are you saying? You're right here, you're fine!"  
"No, Dad, I died! You weren't fast enough to save me!"  
"Hiccup, you're stood right in front of me, you're not dead!"  
"B-But I was! I saw it, experienced all of it!" Hiccup yelled, his voice almost turning angry at how unfair it all was. "I saw you burn my ship to go to Valhalla! I saw Astrid and Mom have their hearts broken, I saw... I saw Toothless cry for me. I saw _you_ cry for me..."  
Stoick's scowl turned even harsher as his voice raised itself to be the only overpowering sound amidst the eerie quiet. He knew he shouldn't be angry. He could never be angry at his own flesh and blood for simply being honest in how he felt, not after everything that had happened over the years. But even contemplating the fact he wasn't able to save his son from doom was no laughing matter. He wasn't angry at Hiccup, he was angry at the idea. He refused to hear it.  
"Stop it! This isn't a joke, Hiccup!"  
"I'm not lying!" the youth interrupted, stamping his good foot into the ice. "P-Please, I'm just trying to explain why I..."  
"Why you what? You didn't die! The dead go to Valhalla!"  
"I never made it there! I wasn't _supposed_ to!"  
"Son, get a hold of yourself!" Stoick commanded, giving the young man another shake of his hands. Hiccup flinched again. He felt just like that stupid kid from 5 years ago. The one who always felt afraid when it came to approaching his father. Stoick's features softened when he noticed. The chief's voice lessened in volume when he realized he needed to take heed of his own advice, sighing apologetically as the scene grew quiet again. "Start from the beginning. Tell me what happened."  
"...you won't believe me," Hiccup mumbled under his breath. His father's anger told him that much.  
"We're stood in a battlefield where nothing is moving. I'm willing to believe a lot."  
" _Your father speaks the truth, Hiccup,_ " the valkyrie suddenly said in his ear, her voice sounding ethereal as if she was in his head rather than over his shoulder. " _Say what you need to._ " The fact that Stoick didn't seem to notice her words implied that only he could hear her. It made sense, considering he had been literally dead only a few minutes ago and she wasn't technically part of the living world. Stoick smiled softly, keeping his senses open to listen intently to whatever his son was going to say.

* * *

And so Hiccup told Stoick the story. He told his father everything. He told him openly about how he had felt his insides burn from Toothless' fire and then found himself still standing nearby to witness his family and lover mourn him. He recalled how he had stood at their sides during the funeral as a ghost, powerless to help his dragon as the Night Fury tried to run after his ship. He explained about his isolation, how he could see the final battle against Drago and the rest of living world but was unable to do anything in it. He told how Toothless had managed to follow him to the world of the dead through sheer will and the creatures and sights he saw there.  
And he finally spoke of the valkyrie's warning. That if this day did not come to pass it should, then Berk's people and dragons would be wiped off the face of the planet.  
As Hiccup finally stopped speaking, he dare not look Stoick in the eye. The towering hulk of a man hadn't said a word throughout all of his ranting. He'd just listened patiently. And that made his son nervous. What was he going to say? Would he say anything at all? Stoick got to his feet after a moment, brushing his tunic down with thick swipes of his hands. Hiccup braced himself for... something. He wasn't sure what. He didn't expect what he eventually got as a response.  
"Alright. If that's how it needs to be."  
Hiccup opened his eyes and blinked in his shock, raising his head to look at Stoick. His father didn't seem upset, angry or even sad about the dilemma. He just seemed to understand. Given the circumstances, he couldn't really do anything else.  
"What...? No... shouting or cursing the gods or anything...? You're just gonna _agree_ to this?"  
"What's there to shout about? Every man has his time," Stoick answered simply.  
"B-But..." Hiccup stammered. "No, you can't say that! You _won't_ say that! Y-You're Stoick the Vast! You don't just give up like that, you can't!"  
"I''m not giving up, son. I already made a choice long before this. I decided to try to save you from Drago knowing full well it could mean only one of us got to walk away. It's a risk I always gladly take if it saves you." Hiccup thrust his fists downwards at his sides as he yelled, refusing to just go quietly into this horrible conclusion.  
"No! I can't let you! I wanted to talk to you so we could think of something else _together_!" he shouted, finally admitting his real reason for wanting to set his father free of the time lock. "We can both get out of this alive, we can save Berk and the dragons as a team with Mom! I know we can! We just need to..."  
"We can't, Hiccup." his father said, the sadness now starting to show in his tired old eyes. The realization of what this meant was starting to set in, no matter how much his duty bound thoughts of being the chief tried to override his feelings. "You said so yourself. When all is said and done, it's you who has to lead Berk to save everyone. I won't remember any of this. Neither will you."  
"Dad, I can't, I..." Hiccup stammered, trying to think of a reason to convince his father otherwise.  
"We both know we'd have to face this someday."  
"But it doesn't have to be today! I'm not ready! That's why I ran away before all of this got so messed up, I'm not ready..."  
"Son," Stoick interrupted, placing his gigantic hands on Hiccup's shoulders and nearly making the smaller of the two buckle from the weight. "You remember what I told you back home? It's something you have to promise me you will _always_ remember. No matter what, a chief protects his own. If I have to lay down my life in order to protect you, then I will always do it. Just as I know you'd lay down your own to protect someone you love too."  
Hiccup didn't have a response to that, his head simply falling forward as he sniffed and tried to hold back the flood that was building behind his screwed shut eyes. This entire thing was cruel. It was unquestionably unfair. Yet his father was right. The chief had said it to him many years before now. He would have to make choices not to keep people happy, but for the sake of everyone's safety and protection. That didn't make him feel any better about it though.

Stoick, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy for either them, suddenly grabbed Hiccup and pulled him tight against his body. Maybe he just wanted to be a comfort to his son. Or maybe it was because it would be the last chance he'd probably have to say any of this. Hiccup reacted almost instinctively, wrapping his much thinner arms around what he could manage of his father's bulk.  
"I'm so sorry, Dad..."  
"Don't be, Hiccup. No matter what happens, I'm proud to call you my son," Stoick replied. "I know I don't say it enough or as often as I should, but I really am. And I'm proud you're doing the right thing." As much as Hiccup's heart swelled at his father's words, making the inevitable pain seem just a touch further away, he only had one thing on his mind in response.  
"...then why does it feel so bad?"  
"You're asking the wrong person for that, Hiccup. I think your mother would be better at talking about feelings than I am." Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hiccup couldn't help but let a smirk slip out. He rubbed at one of his eyes as the pair relaxed their embrace on each other.  
"Yeah... you were pretty lousy at that." Stoick ruffled his son's hair with a free hand as he stood up. He inhaled deeply and exhaled in the same way, turning around to begin walking back to his previous position. Not much time to prepare. He stopped when he heard another sob from behind him, looking over his shoulder.  
"Hiccup," he said, getting the youth's attention. "I always used to tell your mother that you'd be the strongest one day. You can do this, son. Save your tears."  
"I would if I could be as brave as you..." Hiccup said softly.  
"You are that and more. And who knows? The gods deemed it right for you to come back. Maybe they'll be kind to me too." Even with the looming prospect of having to test that idea out first hand, Hiccup managed to smile faintly. Maybe they would. He would have to hope they would. Stoick turned back around as he nodded his head, a look of determination once again crossing his features.  
"Alright, Drago. You might be able to stop me, but let's see if you can stop a Dragon Master..." Hiccup's smile remained for a moment longer. So typical of him to trash talk even in the face of near certain death.  
And in an instant, it was over. A familiar flash of gold light ran over Stoick's body in the same way he had been unfrozen. His limbs and frame started to move slowly on their own, sliding back to their original positions as his face contorted back to one of fevered yelling. He was back where he should be. Midway through running to the end.  
"Dad!" Hiccup exclaimed, reaching forward a hand as his father was suddenly sealed back into stasis.  
This was it. No turning back now.

* * *

Toothless, having remained purposely silent and unobtrusive into what Hiccup needed to do, couldn't keep himself still any longer. His human was hurting. He needed to do something. He took slow steps as his rider just stood still, trying to process it all. The Night Fury crooned, trying to get Hiccup's attention as he came closer.

 _"You're so brave, Hiccup. I think new father is proud of you. As am I."_

Hiccup raised his head, letting out a sigh as he turned towards his dragon. Seeing Toothless' comforting expression always seemed to help, the youth kneeling down and holding out his arms as if ready to embrace his friend. He needed that more than anything right now. However, he found himself stopping when he noticed someone stood behind Toothless, appearing out of nowhere from behind his wing when he moved. As if right on cue, the valkyrie's eyes shone brilliantly and Hiccup's expression twisted into one of worry when Toothless's legs suddenly froze. The Night Fury's body lurched forward and then back again when he realized he had been trapped in place, his gaze flicking downwards to his petrified limbs as he vaguely tried to struggle against them. He growled in frustration, his body pulling and pushing to no avail. He roared, looking up at his rider in a plea for help.  
"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed, running forward and trying to tug at one of Toothless' front legs. It was like it was made of the heaviest rock with how stiff it had become, it wouldn't budge an inch. The dragon hissed and flailed his wings and tail about in an effort to wrench himself free from this invisible prison. And that was when his tail stopped moving too, the heavy mechanism of the prosthetic fin hitting the ice with a metallic ring. Hiccup grunted in desperation to try and set Toothless free, but it was no use. The suddenness of what he had to do hadn't become apparent until Stoick had been locked back into this pause of time. With Toothless, it just seemed to cement it further in Hiccup's head.  
 _'You're so stupid, Hiccup! Stupid, selfish! So focused on yourself you didn't think about Toothless! He's gonna be the one who... no, not yet, I need to help him!'_  
He glared at the valkyrie who had since walked to his side before refocusing his efforts on his now scared dragon, now flapping his wings as if he was trying to leave the ground.  
"Toothless! Bud, look at me! Look at me, it's OK!" he cooed, brushing his hands around the Night Fury's flailing head to keep him still. "I'll get you out of there!"  
"You can't. He needs to become part of this moment again," the valkyrie explained. Toothless' eyes went wider at what she said. His mind had horrendous flashbacks to what had happened before. The overwhelming power of the Alpha burrowing its way into his head, the horrendous damage he had wrought with just one shot. Even if it wasn't going to be directed at his Hiccup anymore, that didn't make it any less scary to consider even after they had decided it would be the right thing to do. What if his human still got hurt? What if all the others hated him for killing their chief?  
What if Hiccup hated him...?

 _'Hiccup, help me! Please...!'_

Hiccup noted his dragon's horror immediately, raising his voice to address the valkyrie even as his eyes remained locked on his other half.  
"You can't just force him back into it! What if he...?"  
"Your father accepted his fate," the valkyrie said, watching the pair of them from over Hiccup's shoulder. Her voice made her sound almost tired, weary, like the effort of having frozen this critical moment was starting to wear her powers down. The Night Fury trying to resist wasn't helping. "I'm sorry. But both you and your dragon must now do the same. I can only suspend the diversion of possibility for so long. It still has to happen."  
Toothless' torso and wings suddenly became solid as well, flared out in that same menacing way that Hiccup remembered. Back when the Bewilderbeast had seized control. His legs eventually did move, but only to twist and and bend to hunch his body down into a equally threatening stance. It was a horrible contradiction, seeing the Night Fury's torso pose in such a way whilst his still struggling head was painted with a look of pure fear. Hiccup grunted in his efforts to keep Toothless still, the dragon warbling to him sadly since he knew what was going to happen. Once his head froze too, he'd be that thing's slave again. And the torturous events of the last month would repeat themselves and shatter his heart. He howled in frustration at trying to move, even as Hiccup gripped onto his scales as hard as he could.  
"Shhh, Toothless, it's OK, it's OK...!" he whispered under his breath, Toothless' ear plates instantly locking onto his voice. As much as his own feelings were still raw, Hiccup had to be strong for his friend. Dad had said it better than anything. A chief protects their own. "Bud, I promise you, it's going to be OK..." The dragon's neck suddenly locked into position, freezing Toothless' head into an upright position as his jaws were forced apart. The dragon's eyes tried to look at Hiccup, feeling like they were straining from the effort as he whined loudly at being forced into position like this. He could feel the heat starting to build at the back of his throat. He was going to fire.  
"Bud, listen to me!" Hiccup suddenly exclaimed, moving his body to make sure they could look each other in the eye. He didn't have much time. "Listen... no matter what happens next, no matter what I'll say or do or... when it happens, I don't hate you. I could _never_ hate you, Toothless, I love you! It's _not_ your fault, bud. It was _never_ your fault the first time and it _won't_ be your fault now. I promise, I'll save you from him, I'll bring you home! Just as you tried to do for me..."  
Toothless's 'voice' broke with another whine. He blinked once as the only way he could acknowledge his human's words, just as his eyes started to gloss over.

 _'Hiccup...'_

The Night Fury didn't finish his thought. Hiccup could only stare as his dragon's eyes suddenly locked onto something straight ahead of him, the pupils turning to narrow slits just like the Alpha above him. Just as a dim purple light began to illuminate Hiccup's stomach from those hung open jaws and give him a nasty case of déjà vu, Toothless became silent and as still as their surroundings. His fire has stopped, hanging ready at the back of his neck ready to destroy anything that crossed him when time restarted. Hiccup exhaled and squeezed his best friend's head, regretfully having to slide his arms away.  
"I'll save you, bud... I swear I will."  
There was nothing else to do. Hiccup was left with only one more task to complete. To see this through to the end. He turned his attention to the valkyrie, his voice low.  
"I suppose I should thank you. For giving me another chance. As much as I really, _really_ don't want to."  
"I will take him to Valhalla myself. You have my word on that," she answered. "Are you ready?"  
"No. But it can't wait any longer, can it?"  
The valkyrie shook her head, gesturing out an arm for Hiccup to take his rightful spot in the events of fate. The young Viking took a few slow steps, switching his vision between Stoick and Toothless moving towards him. A horribly familiar situation. He sighed, blinking rapidly to hold back any lingering emotions, just as he felt his limbs start to lock into place. He watched as his arms extended to both his father and dragon in bids to keep them away, turning his head one last time to look at the valkyrie. She bowed her head, the wind suddenly picking up and causing her cape of feathers to flutter in the breeze. At the same time, her very form started dissolve into those same feathers, cascading off into the distance as if she were being taken away by the current. Hiccup's world started to grow dark, almost black in depth as he lost his sense of where he was. It was like dying all over again.

And then, as quickly as it stopped, it started.

* * *

"Don't!" Hiccup cried, his eyes starting to sting as they welled with the beginning of tears, terrified that his best friend stared through his very being with such menace. Another snarl from Toothless' hung open jaws sent chills through his body, the memory of the first time they had met in the woods flashing before his vision. Toothless had shown mercy then. But there was no hint that it would happen this time. Hiccup stumbled, almost tripping over his prosthetic leg as he heard another voice from the distance scream his name.  
"Hiccup!"  
It sounded like his dad. He wasn't sure, he couldn't concentrate. He dare not try when Toothless was bearing down on him like this. He could only keep begging his dragon to stop, just as his eyes widened in horror at the glowing purple flame began to build at the back of the Night Fury's throat.  
"NO!"  
"Son!"  
The other person managed to break his attention long enough for him to turn away from Toothless.  
"Dad!" Hiccup screamed, his arm outstretched as if to tell his father to stay away. He could still control him, he could win Toothless back, he just needed to try harder. Stoick wasn't going to take that chance, already seeing the dim purple color begin to illuminate Hiccup's body. With his limbs aching at his rush to reach his son in time, Stoick threw himself forward towards Hiccup just as Toothless' throat constricted and sent out a speeding fireball towards them both. It all happened so fast. Time seemed to move in slow motion for them both. As the scorching heat of Toothless' attack began to close in on them, Hiccup's thoughts begged him to try one last time to break through the Alpha's control. His mouth began to change into the shape of yelling Toothless' name, something to make the Night Fury stop even though the action had already been done.

He didn't get the chance to finish. A mighty explosion doused the scene in thick black smoke. Toothless' fire had shattered the wall of ice, sending pieces of it everywhere across the ground. Valka, having only been moments behind Stoick when he had started his run to stop the dragon, barely had a chance to catch her breath. Her heart almost stopped when she realized what had happened, her eyes trying to peer through the veil of black for a sign of any movement. She continued her frantic pace down the hills of snow, her footing slipping on the slippy surface the odd time just as the smoke finally began to blow away in the breeze. Stoick and Hiccup lay still on the ground, covered in shards of frozen material as Toothless just stood there, panting heavily. Smoke escaped from the sides of his jaws as he stayed completely still with that horrible expression. Nothing but a machine under Drago's wicked control, Valka knew all too well what that insane monster could've done. Hiccup groaned as he slowly rolled onto his front, his hands clawing at the ice for some support at the smoke made the inside of his nostrils burn. He coughed and spluttered, panting harshly as he pushed himself up onto his knees. He saw Toothless, his beloved dragon staring menacingly at the destruction before him. What had Drago done to him...? Before he had time to consider the answer, the young Viking saw his father. Stoick hadn't moved, giant pieces of frozen debris covering his body from the blast. Hiccup gasped, forcing his aching limbs to push him upright as he started to run. He didn't even seem to realize he could be walking straight into Toothless' fire again.  
"No..." he breathed out once, almost stumbling over his father's bulk as he raced to his other side. Despite his lack of strength, he hoisted off the largest shards that he could, pushing at some of the others and sending them falling to the ground with a heavy thud. Hiccup's muscles were screaming at him to stop, even as he tried to tug at Stoick's shoulder to properly roll him over. The fact he father still hadn't stirred was making his heart feel like it would burst out of his chest from how hard it was beating.  
"DAD!" he cried into the air, desperate for an answer. He didn't get one. He only heard a breathless utterance of Stoick's name as Valka came to his side. Together, mother and son rolled the chief onto his back, trying to see any signs of life that they could. It wasn't a pretty sight. Stoick's entire front had been scorched black, rivulets of blood staining the ground as they ran over the surface of his tunic. The smell of burning flesh made Hiccup feel sick, his mouth hanging open. He wasn't sure what to say.  
"Dad... no, you..." Hiccup started, turning his head towards his other parent as she pressed her ear against his chest. Her eyes were wide with panic, listening for a sign, something, anything to show he was alright. Her body suddenly heaved in shock as she slowly grimaced at what she heard. Or rather, what she didn't hear. Valka had always been one to cling to hope despite the evidence. Back when she remained on Berk, she clung to the idea of peace. And here, her mind was desperately trying to cling on to the idea of her husband being alright. But in the end, it all became too much for her to delude herself any longer. Valka sank herself over Stoick's body, her eyes looking up towards Hiccup with what could only be described as an apology for not giving him the answer he wanted. As the realization of what had happened began to wash over her son as well, Hiccup's breathing quickened. This wasn't happening. No, it couldn't be happening, it _couldn't_.  
"...n-no...!" he stammered, yearning for some sort of relief, that maybe Valka hadn't checked properly. He checked himself, pressing his ear to his father's chest and praying that maybe she had been mistaken.  
 _'You can't be dead... Dad, you can't be..!'_

As the giant beast responsible for the act began to turn away at Drago's command, its attention was broken from Toothless. It didn't have a use for him anymore and the Night Fury's threatening stance from before shrank down to normal. Toothless shook his head, grimacing as the noise of the Bewilderbeast finally ceased and left him free to his own thought. His eyes returned to normal, squinting and blinking back to the real world as he tried to figure out what had happened. Where was Hiccup? The last thing he had remembered was the pair of them facing off against that nasty dragon trapper. The next thing he knew, he had been...overwhelmed by this awful presence. He didn't even know what it was, he just knew it had frozen his thoughts behind a veil. He remembered feeling rage and anger and the need to kill, but he didn't know why. The dragon crooned, feeling worry rise within him when he didn't initially see Hiccup standing there to comfort him with his words as he usually did. Hiccup always did that when he was worried and it always soothed him. But there was no sign of his human anywhere. And it was then that Toothless noticed two people huddled around something. Both Hiccup and his mother were there. Astrid and the other riders were starting to land and approach them too. But Stoick wasn't moving. He was just laid there on the ground. As he approached them, Toothless had to note that the Vikings were all quiet, his ear plates twitching to try and pick up on anything they were saying. They didn't speak a word. Only muffled sobs reached the dragon's ears as his front paw touched the ground not too far away from them. He heard his other half the most.  
"No, no, no, no..." Hiccup repeated to himself, his body draping itself over the chief's own, vainly hoping that perhaps it would bring him back. Stoick felt so cold and so sudden after he had fallen. He barely noticed Astrid run to his side, clasping onto one of his shoulders for support as she tried to work out what happened. He couldn't have stopped himself crying even if he had the energy to try. Toothless vibrated, concerned at what was happening. What had happened to Hiccup's father? The Night Fury slowly came forward, pushing his snout in towards Stoick's limp hand. His nose flared, unable to sense any kind of smell that indicated he was alright. Toothless whined, pushing his snout further into Stoick's palm before it suddenly fell limply to the side. The sound of the impact hitting the ice suddenly triggered something within Hiccup. Something that in his right mind he would never consider uttering to his dragon. But today had been a step too far. In an instance, Hiccup raised his body up and screamed at the Night Fury. His eyes were wild, his hands pushing forward to shove the dragon away from what he had done.  
"NO! Get away from him!"  
Toothless flinched like he has just been punched, his entire body hunching down to the ground like a scared forest animal. He tried to say he was sorry, pushing his snout slightly forward with a desperate whine for forgiveness. Even if he didn't know what he was being sorry for. Hiccup refused to listen.  
"Go on, get out of here!" he screamed, his voice cracking as tears continued to spill from his eyes. Toothless' chest ached at his human yelled at him to leave. Hiccup would never truly want him gone... would he? He took a shaky step forward, his own sounds inconsistent from the lump in his throat. Hiccup thrust his hands forward, threatening to push at Toothless' head enough to inflict bruises.  
"GET AWAY!"  
Toothless, pitiful and remorseful for something he didn't understand, cowered. His eyes looked to the ground before he suddenly ran, heaving and whining with regret as he disappeared around the edge of the ice. Hiccup exhaled through gritted teeth as Valka raised an arm up towards her son's own. She tried to pull him down as her own voice threatened to fail through her tears.  
"It's not his fault. You know that... good dragons under the control of bad people do bad things," she murmured, trying to be the voice of reason. Hiccup's angry expression faltered. He sighed out a sob, sinking to his knees once more as another tear slipped over his face. He knew she was right. And now he had sent his best friend away.

In that moment, as his mind raced to think of what to do, Hiccup caught sight of someone staring at him. A woman, stood near the coastline. Donned in brilliant silver armor and eyes that shimmered nearly as brightly. She simply nodded her head at him. Hiccup blinked and she was gone. He couldn't explain what he had seen. But it had stirred a memory within him. A memory that was impossible, a moment where he swore to Toothless that something wasn't his fault and that he would save him. Had he sabotaged a promise he didn't remember making?  
 _'Oh, gods... what have I done?'_  
Out of nowhere, a shrieking roar by the Alpha pierced the relative quiet of the battle aftermath, the other riders watching in horror as their own dragons started to turn towards it. Meatlug, Stormfly, Barf & Belch, Hookfang, they all went like zombies to join the thrall of dragons circling above the Bewilderbeast's head. And a particular roar of frustration suddenly caught Hiccup's attention. He saw the flailing shape of his Night Fury falling to the ground, unable to properly join the others thanks to lacking a rider. Those eyes, wet with tears as they were from his human's outburst, were thin slits of black against green once more. The Alpha had seized control of him, just in time for Drago to pin Toothless to the ground with his bullhook. Hiccup could only stare in horror as the maniac suddenly mounted his dragon, crudely working the tail fin to get them airborne as shout to his forces.  
"Gather the men! And meet me at Berk!"  
"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup suddenly screamed, stumbling over his father and away from the embrace of Astrid and Valka. "NO! LET HIM GO!" He couldn't lose both of them. He couldn't lose his father _and_ his best friend. He couldn't take it.  
"No, don't!" Valka insisted, pulling at Hiccup's shoulder to stop him chasing. It would be suicide to go after Drago now. They had no dragons, they had no weapons, they had nothing they could do in retaliation. Hicucp couldn't keep himself still, pulling harshly against his mother's grip.  
"I promised him! I promised I'd save him!" he shouted to the ground, sinking to his knees again as everyone seemed puzzled as to what Hiccup had meant. He shouldn't have remembered saying that. He shouldn't have remembered ever having to contemplate saying those words. But seeing that woman for a fleeting moment brought it back. He had forced his best friend away in his pathetic, stupid and blind grief. And now he was left here on an icy cold shore, watching a maniac like Drago Bludvist steal his dragon away to destroy their home.

As the young chieftain-to-be rose to his feet, he decided to make an oath. He could take the time to mourn his father and honor him as Vikings should. But he would do so after fighting for the peace that He had strove to accomplish for years. And then, maybe... maybe they would be given a miracle. Maybe the gods of Valhalla would reward him for achieving the impossible.

 _'Toothless... I'm coming for you, bud. When that monster is gone, I will come for you and bring you home. Somehow.'_


	8. Epilogue - Remnants

**How To Train Your Dragon: A Loss That Shouldn't Be**  
 **Chapter 8: Epilogue - Remnants**

Darkness. Nothing but the deepest black. It was the only thing that the Night Fury could really make sense of. He had only seen red before, a pulsing need to kill that only gave him hazy glimpses of where he used to be and people that he should've recognized, accompanied by a furious anger worming its way into his head. But now that anger had gone and Toothless was left alone in this void. He was so very alone. He could feel his wings beating, he could feel someone riding on his back, he could even hear the sounds of other dragons following him. Or was he following them? He didn't know. No matter how much he tried to make his body respond to what he wanted, it wouldn't obey. It was like something had hijacked him completely. A fitting description to the circumstances. Even his own memory was starting to fail him as it was enveloped by the sheer size of this presence threatening to crush his individuality into dust. He remembered being shouted at, he remembered Hiccup screaming with rage at him, he remembered breaking his rider's heart. He didn't even have a chance to make up for what he did before Drago pressed him under his boot.

 _'Stop... please, let me go...'_

It was a feeble attempt. He knew logically that simply pleading with his captor wouldn't make it obey. The answer he got back from it was enough to get rid of that idea once and for all.

 _ **'You belong to me now. Flightless, helpless and in need of controlling. That's all you are.'**_

The Night Fury pushed back against the voice in his brain, mentally straining himself to do so. Maybe brute force would be required to break himself free, fighting fire with fire so to speak. But all it did was add to the headache he'd managed to acquire, causing his wings to falter a little as they flew. He felt a sharp stab to the back of his neck from the madman on his back, a painful order to remain steady that was reinforced by a sudden vibration of ear splitting frequency. He mentally flinched, trying to fight back.

 _'No...! I am not helpless! I am Toothless and I am...'_

 _ **'You are weak, fitting what the humans call you. You have no bite, no anger, needing a puny boy to keep you in the sky. It is a mystery as to why Master chooses to fly you.'**_

 _'He is not Master, he is evil! He is evil and wrong and_ you _are wrong!'_

 _ **'Master knows my potential. It is thanks to him that I am the Alpha and you are nothing but dirt in my presence. He will take all of you and you will all be my thrall.'**_

 _'You're filth! You are not kin, you are a monster! A traitor! A..."_

The voice didn't even give him a worded answer that time. Instead, Toothless felt the most horrid pain course through his body, interrupting his internal shouting as the Alpha did not take kindly to what he said. Pure agony set his nerve ends alight with horrible sensations. He wanted to scream, but he knew he couldn't no matter how hard he tried. It was torture, his body feeling like it was being burned from the inside out. He didn't know what effect it was having on his actual form. Drago Bludvist's hook seemed to be keeping him in the air and he could only feel the Bewilderbeast grip him in its control tighter than ever before, like a claw being pressed down upon his neck. Toothless mentally howled from behind the hazy screen of his vision, the Alpha suddenly relinquishing its use of pain and allowing him to slip back into the void of submissive servitude.

The Night Fury's eyes welled up with tears, even as they remained forced wide open with narrow pupils, staring towards an island that he should have recognized as home. A home that he knew he would be forced to destroy. His ear plates twitched as he tried in a final desperate ploy to break from this disgusting creature's embrace. It did not work. The only change his body made was to go in low across the sea, following the Bewilderbeast's cue to rise up from the ocean and catch their targets by surprise. Toothless, wracked with guilt and regret, begged whatever of the Viking gods there were to help him. He begged Hiccup to help him. But would he even want to? Would Hiccup truly want him gone after what he did? What if his actions were beyond redemption?  
What if Hiccup didn't love him anymore...?

 _'I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Hiccup, I'm sorry...'_

* * *

"May the Valkyries welcome you and lead you through Odin's great battlefield..."  
Even as he was handed the arrow the finalize the ceremony after Gobber started his words of farewell, Hiccup felt... wrong. Not in the way that anyone would expect him to. Even as his insides were wracked with nausea and fear at what awaited him, coupled with a great sadness that his father was actually gone... a horrible feeling of familiarity was creeping through his brain.  
"May they sing your name with love and fury so that we might hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla and know that you've taken your rightful place at the Table Of Kings."  
It wasn't like he had done this before. He couldn't have done. He'd never taken part in this ritual of parting, he'd never even attended one as far back as he could remember. He had apparently always been too young to remember the similar event they had done for his mother all those years ago and any other ceremony of note he had remained away from thanks to his childhood exclusion. But right now, in this very moment as he set the arrowhead alight on the dying embers of the small debris constructed fire, Hiccup swore he had been stood on these shores before. Witnessing these exact same actions for the exact same purposes.  
"For a great man has fallen. A warrior. A chieftain. A father... a friend."  
As he raised his bow to the sky, Hiccup's brow scowled. No, Gobber didn't mention a father last time. He mentioned a son, he was sure of it. Wait a minute... last time? When was there a last time? His aim faltered, hands trembling against the handle of the bow.  
 _'No, this is crazy... what am I thinking?'_ he asked himself, the bow lowering as he heaved out a sigh of equal sadness and frustration. He felt something touch his shoulder, the voice of his mother attempting to soothe him.  
"It's alright, babe. We're here," she assured him, keeping one of her palms against him for support. Hiccup knew Valka was trying to ease him through this, thinking that the grief was putting him off. Why was he so convinced this had happened already?  
 _'What's wrong with my memory?'_ Hiccup pushed it to the back of his head and tried again, the bow pointing towards the sky. He exhaled, trying to focus his shaky aim, even as a welling of sadness threatened to spill over into the open again. This was it. When he let go of this string, Stoick would be truly dead. And he would be forced to take up the mantle of responsibility, a role he never thought he'd ever have to take. It felt too sudden. It wasn't fair. Hiccup let go, fingers relaxing as the weapon finally released the flaming projectile into the sky. In a matter of moments, the arrow found its target and Stoick's vessel was enveloped by a sudden wall of orange heat. Hiccup faltered, another sob slipping out into the open just as the other Vikings released their bows as well. They didn't want not draw this out longer than it had to be. It would be too painful if they did. A hail of points of light trailed like meteorites through the dark, foggy skies before they too added to the building inferno that would take Stoick to Valhalla.

"I-I'm... sorry, Dad."  
The horizon glowed a faint orange as the ocean mist began to obscure the burning ship drifting off into the distance. Hiccup had been on the verge of tears constantly ever since he had managed to stop the first time. Speaking like this again, as a formal act of saying goodbye to his father, almost broke his resolve.  
"I'm not the chief that you... wanted me to be. And I'm not the peacekeeper I thought I was. I... don't know..."  
Hiccup sighed, another tear slipping over his face as he did so. He was telling the truth. He really didn't know. He didn't know what to do next, what to do to lead what were now his people, what to say... what to do to get Toothless back. _If_ he could get Toothless back. It had been his fault. He'd driven the Night Fury away, he'd sent him right into Drago's clutches. He was probably scared out of his mind, trapped under that monster's might. It made Hiccup feel sick. His shoulders heaved as he broke, his head falling limply forward as more tears fell to the ground. Valka, not once having removed her arm from her son, moved closer and wrapped her other arm around Hiccup's opposite shoulder. She squeezed him, making him appreciate the fact she was there to help.  
"You know... you came early into this world. You were such a wee thing... so frail, so fragile," Valka started, her own vision seemingly hypnotized by the fire.  
 _'Story of my life...'_ Hiccup thought dryly to himself, wondering where she was going with it. He found out soon as she walked ahead of him, turning around to face him and avert his gaze from the awful sight on the ocean.  
"I feared you wouldn't make it. But your father... he never doubted. He always said you'd become the strongest of them all. And he was right."  
"Then why don't I feel like it...?" Hiccup asked her, almost refusing to look her in the eye.  
"You may not now. But you will," Valka assured him, brushing one of her hands against his damp skin. "You have the heart of a chief and the soul of the dragon. Only you can bring our worlds together. That is who you are, son."  
Hiccup pushed his head into her touch, mirroring what he had done on that snowy expanse when they had first met again. It seemed a world away, a lifetime away. Yet the comfort it brought him still felt fresh and warm. He needed it more than anything. Hiccup looked past his mother's shoulder, taking a hesitant step forward closer to the shoreline to stare at Stoick's final resting place.  
"I was... so afraid of becoming my Dad. Mostly because I thought I never could. How do you become someone that great? That brave? That... selfless? I guess you can only..."  
Valka smiled softly at his words. Her son really had grown up. Even in the short time she had known him again, a sense of pride clung to her heart at him taking over this responsibility. She knew he didn't want to. She knew it would be hard. But the fact that he wanted to try to better himself and everyone else said it all. However, Hiccup's admission of his fear and his determination to do as Stoick had wanted him to was not the reason he had trailed off. Something else had made him.

Staring at that ship triggered something else in Hiccup's brain, a sharp stab in his temple like someone had pressed a knife point to it. He cursed mentally at his head, thinking it was trying to play tricks on him given his emotional state.  
 _'No, I have enough to feel bad about. I don't need this making it worse...!'_  
But that was when he heard a sound, almost like a howl, close by as if it were only a few meters away from him. His eyes trailed off to the right almost automatically to try and focus on it, even as the sudden pain made him wince from what he was doing. He gasped.  
He saw Toothless. Against all impossibility and what reality had told him, there he was. Toothless looked distraught. He saw his beloved dragon running desperately towards the shore's edge as if to plead that what he was seeing wasn't happening. He also confusingly saw Astrid try and hold Night Fury back before he collapsed to the ground with a howl. Toothless was... crying his eyes out. Utterly consumed by sorrow. A moment later, the pain subsided and Toothless was gone. Hiccup stretched out one of his arms, almost as if he could touch the phantom to comfort him before it faded from view.  
"Tooth...less...?" he stammered out. The other Vikings looked between themselves in worried puzzlement at his sudden outburst. Astrid in particular felt the most concern out of all of them, coming to his side and grabbing that outstretched hand in her own with a gentle squeeze. Her love was clearly not in the right state of mind right now after what had happened.  
"It's alright, Hiccup, we'll get him back."  
"N-No, that's not what I... I just saw him," Hiccup insisted, turning his head rapidly between his girlfriend and where he thought he had spotted his dragon. Astrid frowned, taking his other hand and shaking them both in an effort to keep him focused.  
"Hiccup, you'll get him back, OK? I know it's hard, but you can..."  
"Astrid, no, that was...! No, this is all wrong..." he retorted, running his hands through his hair as he took a few steps away from the coast edge. No one else really knew what to make of it.  
"Hiccup..." she started, trying to keep him calm and collected. The chieftain-to-be didn't have any of it.  
"This isn't right, this isn't how it should've happened. I remember... I remember being here before. I swear I was."  
"What do you mean? We've never been here before," Astrid reasoned, her feelings of worry only seeming to amplify the more Hiccup started to ramble.  
"We were all here!" he exclaimed. "We were all stood here, we sent another ship off to Valhalla, just like this. Toothless was there and he tried to run after it and Dad was..."  
Hiccup stopped when he mentioned his father. In his head, it was Stoick who had done the actual arrow firing. But it made no sense. It made him come to a quick realization about how frankly crazy it sounded. He grunted in frustration, throwing his hands down at his sides as if to show how he was giving up on the premise.  
 _'Great... first thing I do as chief is have a mental breakdown...'_ he thought, shaking his head as he turned back around towards the sea. He sighed again.  
"I-I'm sorry, I... I don't know what that was."  
"It's alright, lad," came Gobber's voice, surprising Hiccup that he was the one to say something over anyone else. "It's not surprising with all this running in your head. But we all believe in you."  
"He's right," Astrid agreed, holding onto Hiccup's hands again. "I believe in you too, Hiccup. Just tell us what to do and we'll get it done. We can save them." Hiccup nodded his head slowly, leaning in suddenly toward Astrid to gently press his lips against her cheek in a gesture of thanks. She almost flinched in surprise.  
"Thank you..." he muttered under his breath, his usual warm smile showing a slight hint of returning as he rubbed his eyes free of tears. He raised his voice addressing everyone else properly. If you had to make a first official call as chief, it had to be done properly. "Dad once told me that a chief protects his own. He would have stopped at nothing to defend Berk. So we can't stop either. "  
"So what then?" Astrid, her own smile slowly spreading across her lips at seeing Hiccup's confidence return.  
"We're going back," Hiccup said simply, keeping the rest of his command to himself mentally.

 _'And we're going to find out why I remember something that never happened.'_

* * *

Glistening with moisture from the waves, a gigantic collection of black spines rose into view over the edge of Berk's cliffs, followed by the roaring head of the largest dragon anyone on Berk had ever seen. Almost comparable to the Red Death, tusked jaws parted in a fierce roar to reveal rows of spike-like teeth and a face covered in the same sort of spines as the rest of its head. Its eyes were narrow lines of black against a furious red, the behemoth's gaze making everyone on the ground feel incredibly small. Their treasured dragons now circled around the Bewilderbeast's head, almost as if they were being drawn towards it. And that was when another sight even more curious came into view. A man, cloaked in black and riding a dragon that was just as dark, hovered near one of the giant's tusks, a hook-like weapon stabbed into his mount's neck to give him some support. A mount that looked awfully like a Night Fury. With thick dreadlocks swaying in the morning breeze and an arm that seemed like it was forged from the strongest iron, this mysterious stranger suddenly yelled to them from his rather lofty perch.  
"Your chief is _dead_!"  
The Vikings grew quiet. The chief? Stoick? They couldn't mean Stoick. Not Stoick the Vast, the chief who had survived the onslaught of the Dragon Wars and Drago Bludvist's attack at the Gathering. He had never been bested before, it was debatable whether he could be bested. How could he be dead? The villagers began to whisper signs of panic among themselves.  
"Dead? Not Stoick..."  
"He's bluffing, Stoick could never be taken down by him!"  
"It's not possible!"  
This man looked like the one who was in control of the biggest creature and all of their own dragons still swarmed above him in the air. If he had managed to learn how to have a literal army of dragons follow his commands to assemble, then that meant it was obvious who he was. Drago Bludvist was here. And if he was, then what he said about Stoick was true.  
"No one can protect you now!" the man yelled, jabbing his bullhook down towards the rest of them like they were cowering subjects before a great leader. A fitting metaphor given the control he wielded. As if on cue, the titanic monster of a dragon reared its head back, another ear splitting roar destroying the relative silence of the morning. It lunged forward just as a giant wave of almost liquid ice gushed forth from its throat.

 _'No! Stop it! Leave them alone!'_

Toothless screamed against the force lodged in his brain, struggling as hard as his remaining stamina would let him as he was forced to watch the blurry scenes of Berk being torn apart from that ice. He tried to roar, make his body do anything to intercept that chilling breath, even if it meant he would be taken down instead. It would be a fitting thing to do after it was his fault that Drago had managed to get this far. The voice from before, the Alpha's powerful overwhelming voice, shut him up.

 _ **'Be silent, whelp! There is nothing you can do and I will not let you try. You know what will happen if you disobey me. You dare try to fight back and I will make sure that every inch of this island is buried in my power. There will be nothing left and it will be your fault. Could a weakling like you bear that? I think not.'**_

Toothless didn't have an answer. What could he possibly have thought or said against it? If he resisted, he would doom everyone faster. But if he did nothing, then he would doom them just the same. He sank back into the void, the isolating darkness almost being a more comfortable place to be than the horrible images that he was presented with. Maybe it was better to just slip away, allow the darkness to keep whatever was left his memory and uniqueness intact. At the same time, he couldn't do it. He couldn't get rid of the idea that Hiccup would save him, that the others would triumph over this vile creature and Berk would safe. Hope was indeed a cruel thing, just like when he thought he could bring Hiccup back from the...

Wait...bring Hiccup back? When did that happen? Toothless felt the slightest glimmer of confusion in this emotionless black hole enveloping his mind. He remembered it. He could remember Hiccup having disappeared, gone somewhere. He had been inconsolable, lost without his human until he had been seen in that shop. Yes, the shop, that was right. Or... was it? It sounded insane the more Toothless focused on the memory. How could he have done that? Was he being given false information? Another trick by the Alpha to make him obey?

 _'I remember... you helped me even when you weren't here, Hiccup. But how could you have done that?_ When _did you do that...?'_

* * *

Now only a few miles away from the shores of their home, the dragon riders, having commandeered the remaining Scuttleclaw hatchlings, were nearing Berk in a pack after taking some time to teach the babies some respect for instructions. Valka had done a pretty good job, despite the few accidents that Eret and Gobber had managed to get themselves into on the way here. Hyperactive baby dragons and giant walls of ice didn't seem to mix. But nonetheless, their miniature battalion of Scuttleclaws was in pretty good formation and at the front of them all was Hiccup. The new chief tried his best not to soar too far ahead, a grim determination on his features as he forced his mind to stay focused on the task he had to accomplish. If he rushed in, this wouldn't work. As much as his heart yearned to be with Toothless again, he knew they had to take it steady. Astrid sat on another Scuttleclaw to his left, keeping an eye on her love's face. His outburst back at the Sanctuary worried her, enough that she didn't want to take her eyes off him in case he did something stupid. Her concern was well deserved. Hiccup, even despite the determination to carry on his father's legacy, didn't feel right. The continuous sense of events repeating themselves hadn't stopped since they had taken off. He could remember the sight of the Bewilderbeast bearing down on their home, he could remember the other riders choosing what to do to distract it for this exact plan. And he could remember Toothless flying along with them in this formation.

 _'Did something really happen? Am I the only one who remembers?'_

As the group passed the protruding rocks, they were greeted with a nearly horrifying sight. The Bewilderbeast was hunched over the cliff edge of the village, its sheer bulk having cracked the entire rock face apart. It roared over the remains of Berk, the Viking home now caught up in gigantic twisting spires of frozen destruction. Just as Hiccup had seen it before. Even the way he was thinking of how to describe what he saw in his head was the same. This wasn't a coincidence. Something had made him see this before and he couldn't place his finger on what no matter how hard he scoured his brain.  
"He took all the dragons!" Fishlegs exclaimed, his tone seeming desperate like he was searching for his beloved Meatlug in the mass of wings and talons. All of their dragons were up there, including the ones that had remained on the island whilst they were away. That settled it. This had to end, today.  
"Distract the Alpha!" Hiccup ordered, pushing his Scuttleclaw ahead to where Toothless would be leading the rest of the hypnotized flock of dragons. "Try to keep his focus off of Toothless!"  
"Uh... how?" spoke up Tuffnut, just as Eret piped up to answer the question.  
"Have you forgotten who you're riding with? There isn't a dragon that I can't wrangl-AHH!" His words were cut off when his Scuttleclaw decided the ocean looked interesting enough to get a closer look. "Except for this one!"  
Hiccup rolled his eyes as they focused back on their plan.  
"Here goes nothing... I'll be there soon, bud" he mumbled under his breath, breaking off from the rest of the group to reach his dragon mostly unnoticed. He hoped this would work. It had to.

* * *

Drago sneered at seeing the traitors run, the smell of the cold air rising from the ice making him sigh in satisfaction. This was turning out to be one of his most productive days. An island full of heathens who dared to ally themselves with these monsters destroyed by his own hand. An army of creatures that would mean nothing would stand in his way to seize control of the entire world if need be. And, probably best of all, proving once and for all that he was the only true Dragon Master riding on the back of a fabled Night Fury. No, not just Dragon Master. Dragon _God_. How else would anyone be able to describe his might?

On solid ground, the Vikings of Berk had managed to seek cover behind a few of the buildings that had miraculously survived the Bewilderbeast's onslaught. Without dragons or any decent weapons to defend themselves, hiding was the best thing they could manage to do without being trapped along with their houses in the ice. It would take a miracle for them to get out of this one without being under Drago's rule. Or alive. Thankfully for them, it seemed that their prayer for salvation had been answered when they suddenly spotted small shapes slowly bobbing towards them through the air. There was only a handful of them, but they clearly had wings and they clearly had people riding them. The recognizable outline of their chief-to-be quickly informed them who it was.  
"Look! It's Hiccup!" one of them called out, the small group around him bursting into cheers quickly. The former confidence Berk had when protected by their dragons began to show itself once more as the jeers began to spread. Drago, having previously been too caught up in his gloating of victory, heard his foes from below.  
"What...?" he growled, locking eyes with the ones that belonged to the chief of this destroyed village. So the Dragon Master had managed to make his way back, just in time to see the rest of his island buried beneath a mountain of ice. It seemed fitting for them all to have gathered here, the prospect of destroying them all at once with the Alpha after inflicting such heavy emotional damage almost making Drago smile. His Bewilderbeast growled at the tiny dragons flurried around his face, his controlling frequencies seeming to have no effect on them despite how hard he pushed it at them. Well, no matter. He'd just knock them out of the sky with...  
"Baa!"

Hiccup couldn't resist a smirk at seeing Ruffnut and Tuffnut's plan come to fruition. Destructive or not, they always knew how to best be pests and distractions and it was working wonders right now. As long as their sheep cannon would keep the Alpha at bay, it would give time for Valka, Astrid and Gobber to evacuate everyone else to somewhere more secure. And for him to get Toothless back. His Scuttclaw weaved away from one of the other sheep flying up nearby, just as he started to approach Drago. The madman locked eyes with his adversary, strangely looking a little less annoyed that Hiccup would've guessed at this intrusion. Hiccup scowled with a fierce glare, exhaling to calm himself down, even as he noticed the Alpha destroy Fishlegs' horn in his peripheral vision. No more distractions. He only had one chance to get this right and if he didn't, he'd have lost one too many precious things in his life today. He could do this. He had to, for Toothless.  
"You are certainly hard to get rid of, I'll say that," Drago remarked, having to give the young Viking a bit of credit for not completely collapsing under the weight of his burden. Such a scrawny man didn't seem capable, so it was surprising. Not that it would make a difference in the long run. Hiccup ignored him, coming closer to his still hypnotized dragon just hovering there. His chest hurt seeing it. This wasn't the Toothless he knew and he wouldn't put up with seeing it for a moment longer.  
"Toothless...? Hey, bud, it's me!" he said, gently stretching out one of his hands in a warm tone that he knew his dragon adored. "It's me... it's me, I'm right here, bud. Come back to me... _please_." The last few words triggered that feeling of repetition in Hiccup's head again, making his expression fail somewhat. He had said this before. He was absolutely certain of it.

 _'...Hiccup?'_

Toothless stirred from the void, his pupils flaring open for a moment before snapping back to those lines of black. He could've sworn he heard someone speak his name just then. He swore he had heard his Hiccup speak his name. But how had he? The Night Fury tried to focus his attention through the blurry mist of his vision. It was a person, that much he could make out, hovering in front of him on a small dragon. As much as he tried, he couldn't make the details out. His sight turned a faded shade of red as he heard the dulled voice of Drago on his back, along with another stabbing motion of his weapon into the base of his neck. He could feel trickles of blood running along the scale, causing his body to involuntarily let out a small whine of pain. Hearing that sound from such an emotionless face only made Hiccup angrier.  
"He's not yours anymore," Drago growled. "He belongs to the Alpha! But please, oh great 'Dragon Master', _try_ to take him. He will not miss a second time..."  
On cue, the Alpha itself moved its head beneath the floating pair of riders, glaring at them both with a sudden burst of controlling frequency that seemed to get rid of any hint of pain that Toothless had shown. Hiccup's ears hurt just being near it, knowing that it was just trying to scare him.  
"It wasn't your fault, bud. They... _made_ you do it," he assured the Night Fury, keeping his hand stretched out to him. "You'd never hurt him. You've never hurt _me_." Toothless picked up on it immediately, his blank face twitching as he suddenly shook his head. Inside, the dragon was fighting furiously against the Alpha still trying to suppress him in servitude.

 _ **'You are mine. He can't save you.'**_

 _'N-No...! I need...'_

Toothless bore his teeth in a loud growl. He wanted to tell Hiccup he was sorry, but this overwhelming feeling made it hard to even think of what he wanted to say. He shook his head again, Drago's smug grin fading as he was made a little unsteady by the Night Fury's spasms.

And at that moment, something in Hiccup's brain clicked. For whatever reason, he had somehow known this would happen, that Toothless would be taken from him and that his dragon would inevitably blame himself for Stoick's death. And that was when he remembered what he had said to his best friend in the hopes that somehow they would remember it when things continued on. The details were vague, the images blurry in his mind, but Hiccup knew for certain what he had said before.  
"Bud, you remember what I said, don't you...?" Hiccup asked, moving his Scuttleclaw in closer to look Toothless straight in the eye. "I promise I'd save you. Just as you tried to do for me. I'm so sorry I drove you away. I wasn't thinking, I was stupid. No matter what I say or do... I don't hate you. I could _never_ hate you, Toothless. It's not your fault, bud. It was _never_ your fault."  
As Hiccup came closer, just enough to physically touch his dragon's nose. And at that moment, Toothless' pupils suddenly widened as if he felt a great weight melt off his being. His vision became clearer, his eyes darting around in a panic just as they focused on the hand pressing against his snout. He whimpered, trying to move forward in his hovering.

 _'H-Hiccup?! You came back...!'_

 _ **'Silence!'**_

The Alpha stabbed into Toothless' head, pushing him under the wave of control and casting his true self deep inside. Hiccup grimaced. He was nearly there, he just had to try harder. He leaned his body forward, over the head of the Scuttleclaw he was astride to hold onto Toothless' lower jaw. Once more, the Night Fury shook his head at feeling another of his human's hands touch him, trying to break free. Drago was lost for words. Whether from respect for the boy's powers or because there was a chance this would turn ugly rather quickly, he wouldn't know.  
"How are you doing that...?"  
"Please, Toothless... please don't think I hate you," Hiccup begged with a breaking voice, almost as if he was asking for forgiveness just as much as his dragon was on the inside. Toothless was continuing to rage against his fate, switching between his demeanor as if he had two people wrestling for control of his body. One moment he would be wide eyed and loving, trying to reach his human. The next, the fury of the Alpha would make him bear his teeth in a savage growl. In between these bursts of emotion, Hiccup would feel heat beginning to emanate from the Night Fury's opened jaws whenever he turned feral. He held onto Toothless' head. The Alpha was trying to make him fire. But if staying here in its path was what it took to tell his closest companion that he did not blame him, he would remain.  
"I won't leave you... I won't let you go," Hiccup murmured, squeezing his eyes shut as his trembling fingers clung to the black scale for dear life. "You're my best friend, bud...my _best friend_."

With that final admission from his rider, Toothless once again shook his head around violently before he suddenly became still. He hovered silently with his head hung down before he opened his eyes, blinking a few times as if he were waking up from a bad dream. Hiccup stared with baited breath, looking for a sign of anything he could recognize as his Toothless. Those wide pupils, the brilliant green shine of the dragon's eyes stared back at him, just as the Night Fury's signature imitation of a toothless smile suddenly made his human's heart soar.  
"Attaboy, that's it!" Hiccup exclaimed, rubbing around Toothless' head as a sort of congratulations for winning over the Alpha. "I'm here, bud!"

 _'I'm here, too, Hiccup! I'm here!'_

"Enough!"  
 _ **'Enough!'**_

Both Drago and the Bewilderbeast roared at the pair of them at the same time. Toothless sensed the conqueror readying his bullhook to swing at him again and intercepted him with a well placed bite. Drago's look of horror was all the satisfaction the dragon needed as he suddenly wrenched him off his back and sent him falling downwards.  
"Yeah!" Hiccup yelled, almost getting to his feet on the Scuttleclaw's back at how Toothless had managed to break free. The Alpha roared ferociously, piercing into Toothless' ears again to try and win him back.

 _ **'You are mine, whelp! MINE!'**_

 _'No! I am HIS!'_

Without a rider to keep him airborne, the Night Fury inevitably began to fall out of the sky just as he roared his defiance at the Bewilderbeast. Hiccup, without missing a beat, jumped forward off of his Scuttleclaw and began to free fall after his dragon.  
"Hang on!" he yelled, the wind making it hard to see from how hard it whipped at his face. He heard a smack of metal upon bone, seeing that Drago had saved himself from a watery end by landing on the Alpha's tusk. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was reaching Toothless who was trying to right himself in order to make this work.  
"Almost there, buddy, almost there!" Hiccup shouted, reaching out one of his arms and finally brushing the handles of the saddle in his fingertips. In perfect sync with one another, the rider and his dragon met and veered upwards, speeding off into the sky just before they hit the water as Hiccup took control. Toothless roared in triumph, almost unable to hide his excited nature as he tried to keep looking back at his human. Hiccup smiled, brushing over the Night Fury's ear plates to help him focus on their task at hand.  
"We need to get those two apart..." Hiccup mused, Toothless growling in menace as he looked over their opponents. "We can do this, bud. Just you and me. As one." As his human spoke those words, that weird sense of familiarity crossed over the Night Fury's thoughts too. He'd heard that before too. But he also knew it was true. At some point during a time he couldn't remember clearly, Toothless had crossed between the boundaries of things that should never be crossed in order to bring Hiccup home. And now Hiccup had done the same for him, saving him for a lonely void. He swore to himself that as long as he lived, they would never part again.

 _'Let's do this!'_

* * *

"I think I'm ready."  
"Are you sure? You don't want to stay a little longer?"  
"I don't need to. He's ready," Stoick replied.  
He had watched the entire spectacle of the final battle against Bludvist from one of the clifftops near Berk's edge, seeing his son and his dragon reunite and beat Drago back into the sea. He saw the Night Fury become the new Alpha of the dragons, he saw them both share their long awaited reunion. And he finally saw his boy become the new chieftain of Berk. He'd never felt prouder in his life. It just seemed a shame that it had taken his death to experience that. Stoick sighed, nodding his head in the gentle breeze.  
"That's my boy," he mumbled, the smile unable to be held back even if he tired. Nothing stoic about him today. The valkyrie, the same one from the events before, smiled a little herself. Even if her presence here had caused Hiccup's and Toothless' old memories of possibility to seep through to the true timeline when they shouldn't have done, she had been relieved when they had simply used them to strengthen their connection. Indeed, if the alternate realities of their deaths weren't enough to keep them apart, she had to wonder what would. She hoped she wouldn't have to intervene and find out for many years yet. The valkyrie brushed a stray lock of golden hair out of her eyes, turning towards Stoick with a gesture of her hand.  
"Well, then. Valhalla awaits, Stoick."  
"Aye. That it does," the former chief said. It seemed funny how he was so calm. But given how the valkyrie had shown him that he had accepted his death long before he knew what was happening, he felt peaceful about it. And if he could continue to look down on Hiccup and see the brave young man he had always known was there, then death was a small price to pay. As the valkyrie held her hand out and conjured a circle of light that materialized into a dazzling entrance way, Stoick took one last look at his home and his pride.

"Be brave, Hiccup. I know you'll do right by me."


End file.
